-The U.S. Navy’s Essex-class carriers—24 ships built from 1941–46—were the backbone of American naval air power from mid-WWII through Vietnam. -Larger and tougher than predecessors, they combined ...

Aircraft carriers have been central to the U.S. Navy, and over the years they have only increased in importance since their introduction in World War 2 The Yorktown, Essex, and Midway classes would ...