The United States and the Forrestal Carriers Quiz

Answer: Five

Authorized in July, 1948 by President Truman, the first of the five planned ships, the "United States", was laid down in April, 1949.

Answer: None

The lead ship of the class, the "United States", was laid down on 18 April, 1949, at Newport News, Virginia. Five days later, the project was cancelled and none of the planned ships were ever completed.

Answer: Flush-decked (no island)

At the time that the "United States" was designed, it was thought that the Navy would use large, Air Force-style heavy bombers to carry out nuclear attacks. The island was therefore eliminated in the design, allowing for more room for these larger aircraft. The only previous U.S. carrier that was flush-decked was the "Langley" of 1922, the Navy's first aircraft carrier.

Answer: 83,000 tons

At a displacement of some 83,000 tons, the "United States" class would have been close to 25,000 tons heavier than the previous "Midway" class ships, hence the designation of "supercarrier". Since the "United States" class ships were designed with more of a strategic attack role instead of the traditional duties of an aircraft carrier, the larger displacement was necessary to accommodate the larger planes and their fuel and armament.

Answer: For all of these reasons

On April 23, 1949, the "United States" class was cancelled. The U S. Secretary of Defense, Louis A. Johnson, was convinced that the ships were an unnecessary expenditure, and that the Navy's existing carriers, most of which were less than ten years old, were adequate for the Navy's role in U.S. strategic plans. Johnson sided with Air Force generals who insisted that only large, land based bombers were needed to project American nuclear power.

Answer: Four

The "Forrestal" class of four ships were built between 1952 and 1959. The ships were the "Forrestal", "Saratoga", "Ranger", and "Independence".

Answer: Up to 100

Built at some 100 feet longer and 20 feet wider than the "Midway" class, the "Forrestals" also weighed over 20,000 tons more on a deeper hull design. As a result, these carriers had a much more effective air group of up to 100 planes and helicopters.

Answer: None

Though designed with a straight flight deck and retractable island, none of the "Forrestals" were completed to this design. Experience with the "Essex" class "Antietam", given an angled flight deck in 1952, showed the necessity of the angled deck in order to efficiently operate the large jet aircraft of the day.

The retractable mechanism for the island structure was never perfected, and the idea was taken out of the design.

Answer: None

While the submarine "Nautilus", launched in 1954, was nuclear powered, no plans had as yet been made to build larger ships with nuclear propulsion. The first aircraft carrier to be built with nuclear power was the USS "Enterprise", launched in 1965.

Answer: All four ships

Between 1965-1975, all four of the "Forrestal" class deployed to the South China Sea at various times in support of U.S. forces fighting in the Vietnam War.

Answer: Forrestal

On July 29, 1967, a "Zuni" rocket, attached to an F-4 "Phantom" fighter-bomber, fired and struck an A-4 "Skyhawk", which was parked on the flight deck, rupturing the plane's external fuel tank. The resulting fire cost the lives of 134 men, with a further 161 wounded. Twenty-one aircraft were also destroyed. The ship spent seven months under repair.

Answer: Twenty-four

First deployed in 1974, the F-14 "Tomcat" naval fighter was far too heavy for the "Essex" and "Midway" class ships. The four ships of the "Forrestal" class carried the F-4 "Phantom" into the 1980s, but these planes were replaced by the F-14 during refits. All four of the "Forrestals" carried a squadron of 24 F-14s from the mid 1980s until decommissioning in the mid 1990s.

Answer: Ranger

The "Ranger" was used to film interior scenes for the 1986 movie "Top Gun". Later that same year, the ship was used to film scenes for the movie "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home", in which she "played" the part of the carrier USS "Enterprise".

Answer: Two

The "Forrestal" was slated to be deployed to the Persian Gulf during the War, but her orders were cancelled. She did take up station in May, 1991 to enforce the "no-fly" zone imposed on Iraq. "Independence" was on station during Operation Desert Shield, just after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, but returned to the USA before hostilities began. Both "Ranger" and "Saratoga" participated in the conflict, flying sorties against Iraqi forces in Iraq and Kuwait.

Answer: None

The "Forrestal" class began to be decommissioned in 1993, as more units of the "Nimitz" class joined the fleet. They spent time in reserve, and one was offered to Brazil in 1998, but the Brazilians deemed the operating costs to be too much (Brazil purchased the French carrier "Foch" in 2000, which was newer, smaller, and cheaper to operate) and declined the offer. All four of the "Forrestal" class ships were scrapped between 2014-2017.