Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:22:43-2:23:57

Why Saratoga was the ship to save from Operation Crossroads

Among the Crossroads targets, Saratoga has the strongest preservation case because her service record made her loss especially costly to naval heritage.

Aircraft CarriersNaval HeritageOperation CrossroadsUS NavyUSS Saratoga (CV-3)
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Question

Which Operation Crossroads target ship most deserved preservation?

Short answer

Saratoga, because her naval record made her the strongest single preservation choice even among other significant targets such as Nagato.

Notes

Choosing among the historic ships used in Operation Crossroads means setting Saratoga against candidates such as Nagato. Saratoga is preferred because her operational record gives her the strongest preservation case. She was damaged during the Able test and sunk during Baker. Her loss shows that the tests were also irreversible heritage decisions.