US Cold War Aircraft Carriers
An in-depth look at the first US super carriers – from the design and development of the Forrestal, Kitty Hawk and Enterprise classes, to their operational history during the Cold War and beyond.
The Forrestal class (Forrestal, Saratoga, Ranger, and Independence) was the first completed class of US Navy supercarriers, so-named for their 25 percent size increase over the World War II-era carriers such as the Midway class. Design-wise, the Forrestals were a huge improvement over their predecessors, being more stable and comfortable, while maintaining advancements such as the armored flight decks that had been introduced with the Midway.
Brad Elward examines the history of this class of carrier and its successors. The Kitty Hawk class was an improvement on the Forrestal-class designs, and four were built in the 1960s – Kitty Hawk, Constellation, America and John F. Kennedy. These were even longer than the Forrestals, and fitted with advanced defensive weapons systems and an improved elevator layout.
Featuring special illustrations, this is a history of nine iconic carriers that hold a much-respected place in US naval history.
Brad Elward is an attorney-at-law and freelance aviation author. He has written several volumes on post-war naval aviation, authoring several books for Osprey Publishing, and his articles have been published in periodicals such as World Air Power Journal.
Paul Wright has painted ships of all kinds for most of his career, specializing in steel and steam warships from the late 19th century to the present day. He is a Member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists and has illustrated the works of Patrick O’Brian, Dudley Pope and C.S. Forester amongst others.