pv04+@andrew.cmu.edu (Philip Verdieck) (05/02/89)
From: pv04+@andrew.cmu.edu (Philip Verdieck) I was reading a book mentioning WWII, PAcific theatre, and they mentioned our Carrier fleet at one time as consisting of WASP, HORNET, YORKTOWN, LEXINGTON, ENTERPRISE, and RANGER. I had idea of the RANGER. Can anyon fill me in.
alse%tekig4.len.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET (Al Seaman) (05/05/89)
From: Al Seaman <alse%tekig4.len.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET> In article <6154@cbnews.ATT.COM> pv04+@andrew.cmu.edu (Philip Verdieck) writes: > >I was reading a book mentioning WWII, PAcific theatre, and they mentioned >our Carrier fleet at one time as consisting of WASP, HORNET, YORKTOWN, >LEXINGTON, ENTERPRISE, and RANGER. I had idea of the RANGER. Can anyon >fill me in. My father was on two different carriers in the Pacific. Both were of the Yorktown Lexington class. One was the USS Saratoga, the other was the USS Hancock. He tells me that there were about four or five smaller type carriers which were called "Kiser Coffins" (spel). He thought this nick name for them had to do with the fact that these carriers were ships that were converted to carrier status. Although he couldn't remember the names of these ships, the Ranger seemed to ring a bell. Don't know for sure if the Ranger was one or not. Could make interesting research. Al [mod.note: Something's fishy... These four ships weren't of the same class. Lexington and Saratoga were pre-war sister ships; Yorktown, Enterprise, and Hornet were a later prewar class. Lex, Yorktown, and Hornet were all lost during the war; the names were then re-used for Essex-class ships, which were completed during the war and after. Hancock was of this class, as well. Saratoga survived the war; there was no Essex-class carrier of that name. As for the escort carriers; I've never heard the nickname, but I'd guess it's "Kaiser Coffins"; Kaiser was a shipbuilding firm that created the Liberty ships. The same Henry Kaiser proposed an entire series of CVE's (the Casablanca class), numbering some fifty ships. They apparently used the same hull as the Liberty ships, and similar mass production techniques were used; all fifty were to have been at the same yard in a year's time (in the event, they were laid down between November '42 and March '44. Some were completed very rapidly; USS Attu, for example, was laid down 16 March '44, launched on 27 May, and commissioned on 30 June; a little over 3 months later !) - Bill ] a
alse%tekig4.len.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET (Al Seaman) (05/11/89)
From: Al Seaman <alse%tekig4.len.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET> > > My father was on two different carriers in the Pacific. Both were of the > Yorktown Lexington class..... > Al > >[mod.note: Something's fishy... These four ships weren't of the same >class. Lexington and Saratoga were pre-war sister ships; Yorktown, >Enterprise, and Hornet were a later prewar class. Nothing fishy, you're right. This is my typo as I was trying to point out differences between the bigger carriers and the Kaiser Coffins. I myself am not fimiliar with actual types of "classes". I could have used a better word other than classes. Hope this clears up the confusion. I was also trying to point out some other ships not mentioned in the preceding article which mentioned a book that stated only a few of the carriers in the Pacific, of which I added a couple more names I knew for sure. Al
welty@uunet.UU.NET (richard welty) (05/12/89)
From: steinmetz!algol!welty@uunet.UU.NET (richard welty)
From: Al Seaman <alse%tekig4.len.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET>
*> My father was on two different carriers in the Pacific. Both were of the
*> Yorktown Lexington class.....
*>[mod.note: Something's fishy... These four ships weren't of the same
*>class. Lexington and Saratoga were pre-war sister ships; Yorktown,
*>Enterprise, and Hornet were a later prewar class.
and just to make things more complex, Yorktown and Lexington
were both lost early on (at Midway and Coral Sea, respectively)
and two Essex class ships were renamed Yorktown and Lexington.
the Essex class Lexington was in active service as a training
ship earlier in this decade, although i would imagine that it
has been deactiveated by now.
richard
richard welty welty@algol.crd.ge.com
518-387-6346, GE R&D, K1-5C39, Niskayuna, New York
``Every time I see an Alfa Romeo pass by,
I raise my hat'' -- Henry Fordcreps@silver.bacs.indiana.edu (Steve Creps) (05/13/89)
From: creps@silver.bacs.indiana.edu (Steve Creps) In article <6497@cbnews.ATT.COM> steinmetz!algol!welty@uunet.UU.NET (richard welty) writes: >the Essex class Lexington was in active service as a training >ship earlier in this decade, although i would imagine that it >has been deactiveated by now. I believe Lexington is still in service as a CVT. Just last week I saw a recent videotape of flight operations aboard her. The ensign who showed me the tape was talking in the present tense when he told me about Lexingon's role as a CVT. - - - - - - - - - - Steve Creps, Indiana University, Bloomington, home of the "Hoosiers" creps@silver.bacs.indiana.edu (129.79.1.6) {inuxc,rutgers,uunet!uiucdcs,pur-ee}!iuvax!silver!creps