Quote:
Originally Posted by Mohoender
"Essex class during their careers ships fitted and assigned the CVS designation were ASW carriers with Fixed wing and helicopter anti-submarine aircraft and AEW aircraft, although for a short time some also carried an A-4 Skyhawk squadron for daytime combat air patrol(retired/scrapped) Fixed Wing CATOBAR and Helicopters".
I sware I didn't know and simply used logic. It appears that I came up with what seems to be almost the exact USN complement on that matter.
By 1980, this role was assigned to Tarrawa and then Wasp but, with these ships already busy, wouldn't the US Navy be simply smart and use what was available as it had always done in its past? I agree that putting the other surviving Essex might be tricky but Lexington was still ready to go to Sea by 1991 (as was Dedalo by 1989). Even if not assigned to combat duties, they are re-armed to some extend and assigned to aircraft transport. Then, however, it stands a good chance to be sunk.
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The CVS carried a squadron of A-4 (12 ac), one of S-2 Tracker (12ac) and one of SH-3 ASW helos (8 ac).
Insofar as rearming Lexington...You would most likely be looking at 2-3 Mark 15 Phalanx CIWS, perhaps 2 25mm Bushmaster cannons, 4-8 .50 calibers. The 25mm Sea Vulcan CIWS was entering its final testing and its possible that one or two might have been fitted (there is a variant that held 2-4 Stinger missiles) and that would be it for gun armament. For missile armament, pretty much the only possibility would be the EX-24 Rolling Airframe Missile mount (24 RIM-116A missiles). Its a "bolt-on" mount and there would be no reloads so it would be a one shot wonder....but!
I talked with a naval member of my group and while he wasn't certain there may have been a possibility of Hornet and Bennington being recommisioned and serving as ASW escorts with SH-2/SH-60. One thing that he was adamant about, both ships lacked a lot of critical spares and would most likely been operating with one or two turbines shut down.
He also described Bon Homme Richard as being held together by paint and rust and that he would station himself next to the nearest life boat if there was any chance of combat...Oriskany was described as being in almost as poor a hull condition.
I also checked with him about the flight deck and what aircraft could be operated. Hornet/Bennington were still fitted with two Korean War vintage hydraulic catapults that could launch ac of up to 30,000lbs weight. Bon Homme Richard/Oriskany were fitted with two 1st generation steam catapults and would have been able to launch ac of about 38-40,000lbs weight.
The F/A-18 Hornet in the fighter role would weigh 37,000lbs, in the strike role, weight would go up to 48,300lbs
The F-14 Tomcat would range from 58,600lbs to 70,500lbs
The F-4S Phantom had a launch weight of 56,000lbs
A-7 Corsair had a max takeoff weight of 42,000lbs
A-6E Intruders had a launch weight of 60,400lbs
A-4 Skyhawk had a launch weight of 25,500lbs
S-3B Viking has a launch weight of 52,400lbs
E-2C Hawkeye has a launch weight of 51,600lbs
EA-6B Prowler has a launch weight of 54,500lbs
As you can see, aside from the A-4, the F/A-18 would be the only one capable of being launched. But there is a further problem with the Essex carriers, their flight deck elevators are not large enough to support modern ac. and their angle decks would place an excessive amount of strain on the ac's landing gear due to their short run.