Could Essex carriers operate F/A-18s?

Could modernised Essex-class carriers handle the F/A-18 Hornet?

Perhaps for an exceptional landing, but not as a normal operational role; no regular Essex F/A-18 service is identified.

The answer finds no evidence of regular F/A-18 operations from the surviving Essex carriers. An emergency landing might have been physically possible on a suitably modernised deck, but that is different from sustained operation. By the relevant period, the remaining ships were nearing decommissioning or being used mainly for helicopter duties. Their final air groups show Phantoms and Skyhawks rather than a transition to Hornet service.