Twenty-four Essex-class aircraft carriers were built for the U.S. Navy during World War II, and only two did not continue their service during the Cold War. One of those was the USS Franklin (CV-13).

Summary and What You Need to Know: USS Essex (CV-9), the lead ship of the Essex-class aircraft carriers, had a storied career that significantly impacted U.S. naval history. Laid down ...

Roosevelt. -Designed in 1940 and commissioned after World War II, the carriers were notable for their size and armored decks, ...

The Best: During World War II, the United States Navy commissioned 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers, making it the most numerous class of capital warships of the 20th century. These carriers ...

The aircraft carrier was the fourth to carry ... Okinawa and attacks on mainland Japan before the war ended. The Essex-class carrier, built at Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock, was first ...