Independence Class Aircraft Carrier

Independence Class Aircraft Carrier

Typical operational complement as of October 1944:

• 24 F6F Hellcat fighters
• 9 TBM Avenger torpedo planes

The Independence class aircraft carriers were a class of light carriers built for the United States Navy that served during World War II.

This class were a result of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's interest in Navy shipbuilding plans. In August 1941, with war looming, he noted that no new fleet aircraft carriers were expected before 1944 and proposed to quickly convert some of the many cruisers then under construction. Studies of cruiser-size aircraft carriers had shown their serious limitations, with the General Board of the United States Navy replying that such a conversion showed too many compromises to be effective on Oct 13th 1941. The President ordered another study on Oct 25th and BuShips replying that the cruiser conversion would result in a lesser capability but would be available sooner. The crisis following the December 1941 Pearl Harbor attack demonstrated the urgent need for more carriers as soon as possible. The Navy responded by greatly accelerating construction of the big Essex class aircraft carriers and, in January 1942, reordering a Cleveland class light cruiser as an aircraft carrier.

Plans developed for this conversion showed much more promise than expected. The design was based on the Sangamon class escort carrier and two more light cruisers were reordered as carriers in February, three in March and a final three in June 1942. Completed in January–December 1943, simultaneously with the first eight Essexes, the nine Independence class ships were vital components of the great offensive that tore through the central and western Pacific from November 1943 through August 1945. Eight of them participated in the June 1944 Battle of the Philippine Sea, which effectively eliminated Japan's carrier air power, supplying 40 percent of the fighters and 36 percent of the torpedo bombers.

The Independence class design featured a relatively short and narrow flight deck and hangar, with a small island. To compensate for this additional topside weight, blisters were added to the original cruiser hull, which increased the original beam by five feet. The typical air group, originally intended to include nine each of fighters, scout-bombers and torpedo planes, was soon reoriented to number about two dozen fighters and nine torpedo planes.

These were limited-capability ships, whose principal virtue was near-term availability, and the speed necessary to operate in the fleet-carrier task groups. Their small size made for seakeeping problems and a relatively high aircraft accident rate. Protection was modest and many munitions had to be stowed at the hangar level, a factor that contributed greatly to the loss of Princeton in October 1944.