Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Chapter · 12:50-15:16

Forrestal marks a Dreadnought-like carrier break

Forrestal made wartime carriers look visibly old-fashioned and began an iterative lineage through Kitty Hawk, Enterprise, Nimitz, and Ford.

5-inch GunsCarrier DevelopmentForrestal Class Aircraft CarriersGerald R. Ford Class Aircraft CarriersKitty Hawk Class Aircraft CarriersNaval ProcurementNimitz Class Aircraft CarriersUSS Enterprise (CVN-65)
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Notes

The Forrestals retained eight 5-inch guns, matching part of the planned armament of USS United States, while moving carrier design into a new era. Their arrival is compared with HMS Dreadnought because older wartime carriers remained useful yet were immediately recognizable as the previous generation. Forrestal was still a transition rather than a finished ideal. Procurement normally carries lessons and identified faults from one class into the next. Experience with Midway and USS United States informed Forrestal, which in turn fed Kitty Hawk, Enterprise, Nimitz, and Gerald R. Ford.