Operation Crossroads used two carriers of different sizes. Independence represented a light carrier, while Saratoga supplied the test case for a much larger fleet carrier. Saratoga stood roughly 2,265 yards from the Able airburst and only about 450 yards from the Baker underwater blast. The tests produced survivability evidence from a full fleet carrier, although a historically important ship deserved a better end.
Notable Point · 1:02:00-1:03:17
Operation Crossroads uses Saratoga as the fleet-carrier test case
Saratoga's placement in the Able and Baker nuclear tests made her the large fleet-carrier counterpart to the light carrier Independence.