In article <CZ-dnfmXIYoY2E3InZ2dnUU78TGdnZ2d@giganews.com>,
PVK <pv.kirkland@gmail.com> wrote:
=>
=> I'd be very grateful if someone could explain, or point me to an
=> explanation of, the exact difference between short hull and long hull
=> Essex-class carriers.
The introduction of the Essex class of aircraft carriers was in response
to the Navy's request for a carrier that could handle more and heavier
types of aircraft that were already on the drawing boards than the then
current Yorktown class of carriers. The Essex class was divided into two
types: the so-called long-hulled and short-hulled variants.
The Short-Hulled Essex Ships:
CV9 USS Essex CV16 USS Lexington
CV10 USS Yorktown CV17 USS Bunker Hill
CV11 USS Intrepid CV18 USS Wasp
CV12 USS Hornet CV21 USS Boxer
CV13 USS Franklin CV31 USS Bon Homme Richard
The forward part of the flight deck has a single hydraulic catapult
located on the starboard side. This was common to most of the early
ships of the Essex class. Later in the war, most of the ships received a
second catapult on the port side during refit.
During their 1944 refits, the forward most 40mm gun on the island was
deleted and more flag space was added to the bridge level. The original
radars were SK, SC-2 radars, and YE homing beacon. This was the common
layout for this class of ship in 1943. As the war progressed, the radars
changed drastically.
The Long-Hulled Essex Ships:
CV14 USS Ticonderoga CV38 USS Shangri-La
CV15 USS Randolf CV39 USS Lake Champlain
CV19 USS Hancock CV40 USS Tarawa
CV20 USS Bennington CV41 USS Midway
CV32 USS Leyte CV42 USS Franklin D. Roosevelt
CV33 USS Keararge CV43 USS Coral Sea
CV34 USS Oriskany CV44 USS (cancelled)
CV35 USS Reprisal (*) CV45 USS Valley Forge
CV36 USS Antietam CV46 USS Iwo Jima (*)
CV37 USS Princeton CV47 USS Philippine Sea
(*) Never completed.
The so-called long-hulled Essex carriers were also known as the improved
Essex class, often called the Ticonderoga class.
Most of the long-hulled ships' improvements were internal to the ship,
such as redesigned aviation gasoline tanks and relocation of the CIC
under the armoured deck. The most visible identification features of the
long-hulled ships were that they had a slightly shorter flight deck and
a clipper-like bow. This allowed the ships to carry two 40mm mounts on
the bow (rather than the single mount of the short-hulled carriers) for
increased AA protection.
The flight deck is similar to that of the short-hulled Essex carriers,
however there are two catapults, one slightly offset from the front of
the deck. The forward flight deck on these carriers is also shorter, cut
back to clear the field of fire for the bow mounted anti aircraft guns.
For the ships in the class completed post war, the forward flight deck
was lengthened, necessitating the relocation of the fire control
director for the bow anti aircraft armament.
To summarize, the visible external differences for the wartime
long-hulled variant are the heavier and more elegant clipper-like bow,
and the cut back forward flight deck to clear field of fire of the twin
40mm anti aircraft mounts that replaced the single mount of the
short-hulled variant. Also, some changes to the island structure that
include the deletion of the foremost 40mm anti aircraft mount, and the
redesign of many of the platforms. All the long-hulled Essex ships had
two catapults on the flight deck, while the short-hulled ships started
life with only a single starboard side catapult.
Cheers,
JeremyJ
--
Jeremy Jeremyson -- picoparsec at magma dot ca
Discombobulated in Disturbia
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