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The CVS Anti-Submarine Carrier
During WWII the Navy found one of the most effective means of combating submarines on the open seas was the use of small escort carriers which used Grumman TBMs and F4Fs to spot and destroy submarines as they escorted convoys across the North Atlantic. These small carriers were built on the hulls of merchant ships, which were small and slow. However, after WWII the aircraft that were being introduced were becoming heavier and faster, with the introduction of jet powered aircraft, and the targeted submarines were becoming faster also.. The small escort carriers of WWII were therefore no longer suitable for the anti-submarine task. It was decided to convert Essex class carriers of WWII to the anti-submarine role, each of which would be escorted by smaller vessels which making up an anti-submarine task force. Note in the photo below the (11) Trackers, (2) AD-5Ws, and the (4) HSS-1s in the air, and the (2) Trackers on the deck.
Below is information about the different CVS carriers. USS Essex The USS Essex was the first and namesake a class of 24 aircraft carriers which formed the nucleus of the fast carrier task groups which were very important to the defeat of Japan in the Pacific in WWII. No Essex class carrier was ever sunk and they served during Korea and Vietnam. Today several are Museums located through the US. (USS Lexington, USS Hornet , USS Intrepid , USS Yorktown ) USS
Essex Home Page USS
Essex Photo Album
USS Yorktown The USS Yorktown has been a great tourist attraction in Charlestown, SC for many years. This is again the result of a large amount of hard work by dedicated individuals to start such a project and then maintain the Yorktown and the other ships on display with her over the years. USS Yorktown Museum CVS-10 VS-23 USS Intrepid USS Intrepid Photos USS Intrepid Museum The USS Hornet The USS Hornet through the efforts of many hard working dedicated persons has been saved for future generations as a Museum in Alameda, CA. Unfortunately, most of the great WWII ships such as the Hornet were long ago cut up for scrap long ago. Note that the USS Hornet's Museum web site's home page opening photo shows her in the CVS configuration with Grumman Trackers on her deck. USS Hornet Museum US Hornet Photos The USS
Ticonderoga
The USS Randolph
The photos in this section of the USS Randolph were taken by Tracker Air Group member Tom Fisher during his tour on this carrier in the late 1950's. As this time there were (2) squadrons of Trackers aboard, (1) detachment of AD-3W early warning Skyraiders, and one squadron of Sikorsky HSS-1 Seabats aboard the Randolph. All of the these aircraft types can be observed in the photos below and the photo below was taken at Pier 86 in New York City.
USS Randolph History USS Randolph Photo Page The USS Lexington USS Lexington Photos USS Lexington Museum The USS Wasp |
