The Best: During World War II, the United States Navy commissioned 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers, making it the most numerous class of capital warships of the 20th century. These carriers ...

The USS Hancock (CV-19), the Essex-class aircraft carrier my father served on during the Vietnam War, was laid down on Jan. 26, 1943, and launched less than a year later, on Jan. 24, 1944, in time to ...

Summary: The USS Bennington, part of the U.S. Navy’s Essex-class aircraft carriers, played a pivotal role during World War II and beyond. With a displacement of 34,000 tons and capable ...