These included nine carriers of the Essex-class (CV 9) modified in the years after the war to be used as antisubmarine warfare platforms (called CVSs), along with destroyers given Fleet Renovation and Modification (FRAM) upgrades. But in the early 1970s, this meant replacing several hundred warships built during World War II. Shipbucket drawing by Shiploverĭesigned to provide escorts for convoys during wartime, these ships would also provide “mass” to the U.S. Line drawings of the Sea Control Ship final design from 1974, never built, but sold to Spain to become the basis for Principe de Asturias. fleet built during World War II, and especially the modified Essex-class carriers that formed the bulk of the carrier fleet. These included the block obsolescence of a large portion of the U.S. As America began to wind down its involvement in the wars of Southeast Asia, there were also requirements to “pivot” to deal with the emergence of a growing “blue water” fleet by the Soviet Union, along with several other challenges confronting the Navy. The early 1970s were a time of great challenges, turbulence, and confusion for the Navy. Nevertheless, the SCS story has an intriguing ending and legacy in the context of today’s navies. Designed to provide many of the same kinds of services as the escort carriers (CVEs – “Baby Flat Tops”) of World War II, they fell victim to bureaucratic infighting and the double-digit inflation of the times. A more modern example is that of the so-called “Sea Control Ship” (SCS) of the 1970s. One only need remember that the great carriers USS Lexington (CV 2) and Saratoga (CV 3) were built on the hulls of two uncompleted battle cruisers that were outlawed as a result of the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty. Navy is replete with ships that were not built, finished, or commissioned.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |