Later, more series of aircraft carriers were built, including Lexington-class, Ranger-class, Yorktown-class, Hornet-class and other ship-class aircraft carriers. Before the Pacific War, the US Navy had seven aircraft carriers, which surpassed Britain in number, excluding the CV- 1 aircraft carrier Langley. The Pacific War broke out. During the period from 1942 to the beginning of 1943, the US Navy lost a total of four aircraft carriers. Due to the serious shortage of aircraft carriers, the demand has increased greatly.10-June began to launch 9 aircraft carriers in the fiscal year of 194 1. On the one hand, it accelerated the construction of Essex-class aircraft carrier, on the other hand, further research also found that the benefits of this cruiser-sized modified aircraft carrier may be much more successful than expected. During the period of 1943, nine Cleveland-class light cruisers transformed into aircraft carriers were put into service one after another, with the level of "independent class", and the midway-class aircraft carrier was also built in the corresponding year. Essex-class aircraft carriers accelerated their service from the end of 1942 to the end of 1946, bringing the total number of Essex-class aircraft carriers to 24. At the beginning of 1945, the navy awarded six Essex-class aircraft carrier construction contracts. During the period from 1940 to 1945, 32 aircraft carriers are planned to be built. However, the Pacific War is coming to an end, and all six aircraft carrier construction plans were cancelled on March 22nd. In August of the same year, two Essex-class aircraft carriers "Revenge CV-35" and "Iwo Jima CV-46" being built by the shipyard were stopped, and eight were cancelled.
After the Pacific War, there were too many Essex-class and independent-class aircraft carriers, some of which were retired for nuclear weapons testing, some were sealed, some were used for training, and some continued to serve. Due to the excessive number of aircraft carriers after the Pacific War, two midway class aircraft carriers, CVB-56 and CVB-57, are still under construction, and their construction has also been cancelled. After World War II, the US Navy plans to build a series of five super aircraft carriers, American-class aircraft carriers, with a displacement of 65,500 tons and a full displacement of more than 80,000. Because the United States, which has just finished the war and its economy has not recovered, is unable to build them, 1 On April 23rd, 949, then Secretary of Defense Luis A. Qiang Sen announced that the super aircraft carrier really built was the Forrest class, and the first ship, Forrest CV-59, started construction in June 1952, and in June1955+. All forest-class aircraft carriers are planned to be built. At the end of 1956, the United States built an aircraft carrier with a higher displacement than Forrest class, the Kitty Hawk, the first ship, CV-63, 1956, and entered the service on April 29, 196 1, and Kitty Hawk is also planned to be built. During the construction of Kitty Hawk,1February 4, 958, the United States began to build the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which was also the first generation of nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the US Navy, CVN-65, 196 1658. The military was forced to cancel the remaining orders and build a traditional Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier to replace the vacancy. It was not until the cost of the nuclear power system was reduced on the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier developed later that it was put into practical use, and 10 ships of the same class were built one after another. Under such a development background, the enterprise has unexpectedly become an isolated ship class.
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier is the second generation nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the US Navy. A total of 10 ships of the same class were built, which were completed from 1968 to 2009. The first ship is the Nimitz [〔CVN-68, 65, 438+0968]. Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are mainly used to replace all classes of aircraft carriers with traditional power, such as forest and Kitty Hawk.
The US Navy is planning to build a new generation of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, "CVN 2 1 Future Aircraft Carrier Plan". Ford-class aircraft carrier is the third generation nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the US Army, mainly to replace Nimitz-class aircraft carrier with high operating cost. There are three planned aircraft carriers, namely Ford, CVN-78 and Kennedy. At present, CVN-78 and CVN-79 are under construction, and CVN-80 is under planning. Ford [CVN-78], the first ship of Ford-class aircraft carrier, is expected to enter service on 20 15 to replace the retired enterprise [CVN-65] aircraft carrier.