Midway-Class Aircraft Carriers 194592

(Paperback)

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The Midway-class were the US Navy's biggest carriers built during World War II. Superbly illustrated, this explains how they became the backbone of the Cold War fleet. Entering service in September 1945, the Midway-class aircraft carrier was the US Navys ultimate World War II-era design, and these would be its frontline carriers as the Cold War dawned. A fine design and one big enough to accept significant modernizations over the decades, two of the ships saw combat in the Vietnam War, and Midway even launched the first carrier airstrikes of the Gulf War in 1990. In this book, naval expert Mark Stille explains how the Midway class was the US Navys attempt to build a much larger and more survivable version of the wartime Essex class; its extensive new protection system included the first armoured flight deck in the US Navy. He highlights how new weapons systems transformed the Midways during the jet age, from angled flight decks and catapults to CIWS, until Midway found her last home as a museum ship in San Diego, the only non-Essex-class American carrier to be preserved. Including archive photos, superb original art, a cutaway of the final configuration of Midway, and meticulously researched profiles detailing how the ships were rebuilt through their careers, this book explores the heart of the US Navys carrier fleet during the early Cold War.

Author Bio

Mark Stille is the author of numerous Osprey titles focusing on naval history in the Pacific. He recently concluded a nearly 40-year career in the intelligence community, including tours on the faculty of the Naval War College, on the Joint Staff and on US Navy ships. He received his BA in History from the University of Maryland and also holds an MA from the Naval War College.