US carrier numbers at the end of WW2. - Page 2 - Historum

**diddyriddick** · January 14th, 2012, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chui

Minor nitpick: The Wasp diddriddick listed is the second CV called Wasp. The original was sunk by a Japanese submarine during the Guadalcanal campaign.

You are correct sir. There are probably other mistakes in that list if anybody takes the time to look into it.

SiegeOfPetersburg · January 15th, 2012, 10:54 AM

Does anyone know how quickly the U.S. carrier force was reduced after the war? I guess what I am wanting to know is how many carriers did the U.S. have by, say, the Korean Conflict? I would imagine most if not all of the escort carriers were almost immediately scrapped, but are there any good books or online sources discussing this?

CT9 · January 15th, 2012, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pikeshot1600

This is just a comment about salvage. No attempts at salvage were envisioned as the ships expended at Bikini were obsolete and intended for the breakers yard anyway. Several battleships were expended, but those all dated from before WW I (1910-1913). Saratoga was laid down I think about 1920. The ships were used up.

There were the usual congressional expressions of outrage that all that shipping was wasted (1946 was a congressional election year). Efforts to salvage and transport scrap were not deemed worthwhile, notwithstanding the limited understanding of radioactivity and its effects.

Wow thank god, so what you are saying is that if it were more cost effective to use the scrap metal they would have?

**pikeshot1600** · January 15th, 2012, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CT9

Wow thank god, so what you are saying is that if it were more cost effective to use the scrap metal they would have?

No, the navy was not interested in the salvage to any real degree. The purpose of the tests was to assess the damage to ships at various distances from, and at various angles to the atomic bomb's blast at "ground zero." The costs of development etc. probably outweighed the value of the scrap metal.

The ships were expendable, but in the absence of the Bikini tests, there might have been some sent to the breakers. Still, old ships are only worth so much - even as scrap. Cost/benefit and all that.

Pauke! Pauke! · January 17th, 2012, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SiegeOfPetersburg

Does anyone know how quickly the U.S. carrier force was reduced after the war? I guess what I am wanting to know is how many carriers did the U.S. have by, say, the Korean Conflict? I would imagine most if not all of the escort carriers were almost immediately scrapped, but are there any good books or online sources discussing this?

This website claims to lists the fate of all US Carriers:

Fate of aircrafts carriers in the US Navy

This websites lists Carriers and Carrier Based Squadrons deployed during the Korean Conflict:

Korean War order of battle

This website has Korean War: Chronology of U.S. Pacific Fleet Operations

Korean War Naval Chronology, June-Dec. 1950

**botully** · January 18th, 2012, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SiegeOfPetersburg

I would imagine most if not all of the escort carriers were almost immediately scrapped, but are there any good books or online sources discussing this?

A quick look at US Carriers: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman shows that some were converted back to merchant ships, some were broken up 1946/47 (probably damaged), and a good number were mothballed until stricken and scrapped 1959/60.

Vladimir · January 21st, 2012, 11:51 AM

This is quite informative - if America had the ability to create almost 100 aircraft carriers by the end of the WWII, imagine the potential of the U.S. still in the 21st century.