Saipan class aircraft carrier
- Saipan class aircraft carrier
The "Saipan" class aircraft carriers were a class of two light carriers built for the United States Navy that served from shortly after World War II through the Vietnam War. They were later converted into command ships.
Origins and Design
Intended to offset expected wartime losses of the smaller "Independence" class light carriers, the two ships of the "Saipan" class were designed from the keel up as aircraft carriers, with many improvements based on experience with the "Independence" class. upon which the "Independence" class was built, allowing better seakeeping, improved hull subdivision, enhanced protection, greater magazine volume, a stronger flight deck, an expanded air group and a slightly higher speed than in the "Independence" class [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/usnshtp/cv/cvl48cl.htm] . Compared to their heavy cruiser half-sisters, they were eight feet wider in beam to accomodate the size and weight of the hanger and flight deck.
ervice
They had very brief service lives as fleet carriers, serving respectively from 1948 to 1954 (USS|Saipan|CVL-48|2) and 1947 to 1956 (USS|Wright|CVL-49|2). As carriers, they were swiftly outdated by the deckspace-eating jet aircraft of the 1950s, and quickly rendered far too small in a military environment where the convert|900|ft|m|-1|sing=on-long "Essex" class ships were increasingly seen as cramped and small. The two ships were seen as valuable hulls, however, with a large void space within the ship that could easily be translated to other use. They were converted for non-carrier duties in the late 50s, "Saipan" as the communications relay ship USS "Arlington" and "Wright" as a command ship. In these capacities the two ships served until being decommissioned in 1970 and scrapped in 1980.
General characteristics
*Displacement: 19,000 tons full load
*Length: convert|684.6|ft|m|abbr=on
*Beam: convert|76.8|ft|m|abbr=on (waterline)
convert|115|ft|m|abbr=on (overall)
*Draught: convert|28|ft|m|abbr=on
*Height (Mast): convert|113|ft|m|abbr=on
*Crew (Officers/Men): 1,677
*Speed: convert|33|kn|km/h
*Armament:
**5 quad, 11 dual 40 mm; 16 dual 20 mm AA
**42 - 50 aircraft
hips
* - later USS|Arlington|AGMR-2
* - later CC-2
ources
* [http://www.microworks.net/pacific/ships/cruisers/baltimore.htm Statistics]
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/usnshtp/cv/cvl48cl.htm NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER]
* [http://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/CVL/cvl48.html Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]
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