USS Saratoga CV-3

The USS Saratoga CV-3 was an American aircraft carrier used by the US Navy in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Belonging to the Lexington Class, she was laid down on September 25, 1920, in Camden, New Jersey, being built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation. After five years of construction work, she would be launched on April 7, 1925, to be finally commissioned on November 16, 1927. Having survived the war, she was used as a target by an atomic bomb test in July 1946.

The hull of the USS Saratoga (CV-3) had originally been designed as a battlecruiser, which gave her a small hangar deck, despite her large overall size. She had an armor belt between 5 and 7 inches (127/178-mm) thick. The flight deck was thin steel plate covered by wood planking. It was assumed that this construction technique would make it easier to repair after damage than an armored flight deck. Just like in her sister ship Lexington CV-2, her flight deck tapered sharply at the bow.

Below, the aircraft carrier Saratoga in 1928

Brief Service History

The USS Saratoga (CV-3) was one of only two US Navy's pre-war carriers which saw combat action in the Pacific and survived. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, she was off the coast of California. On January 11, 1942, she received the first war damage when she was struck by a single torpedo from the Japanese submarine I-6, near Pearl Harbor. Although the damage did not threaten to sink the carrier, she did require a return to the US west coast for repairs, which prevented her from taking part in the Battle of Midway in early June 1942.

In July 1942, Saratoga headed into the South Pacific to provide air umbrella and support to the American invasion of the Guadalcanal Island, in the Solomons, which began on August 7, 1942. During this campaign, her 36 dive bombers struck and sank the Japanese light carrier Ryujo. On August 31, she was struck again by a Japanese torpedo from submarine I-26, forcing her to sail for Pearl Harbor for repairs.

Having returned to service, the CV-3's SBD Dauntless and SB2U Vindicator dive bombers attacked the Japanese base of Rabaul, on New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea. This air raid damaged several enemy heavy cruisers moored at the port, sinking one destroyer. Then Saratoga would return to Pearl Harbor again in early 1944 for refit. Next, she sailed to join the British Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean. During this time, she unleashed her bombers and attacked the port of Sabang, Sumatra, on April 16, and Soerabaja, Java, the following month.

Having served with the Royal Navy, Saratoga returned to the US West Coast for a second refit, which prepared her for duty as a night carrier. In January 1945, she returned to combat operations, joining USS Enterprise, forming a night fighter carrier division, which provided support to the invasion of Iwo Jima (February-March 1945). On February 21, she would be struck by six bombs in two separate attacks. Although her flight deck was damaged, she was able to recover aircraft in three hours. Having been repaired, she returned to service in May. At the end of the war, she was used as a troop transport to return American servicemen to the United States, carrying more than 29,000 personnel.

Specifications

Displacement: 37,000 tons

Length: 270.7 m (888 feet)

Beam: 32.3 m (106 feet)

Draft: 9.3 m (30 feet, 5 inches)

Power Plant: two electric motors powered by four GE turbine-generators set, producing 47,000 horsepower. The turbines received steam from sixteen water-tube Yarrow boilers.

Maximum Speed: 33.25 knots

Range: 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km/ or12,000 miles)

Crew: 2,750 sailors and officers

Aircraft: 78 (dive bombers and fighters)

Below, two black and white pictures of USS Saratoga CV-3 a few years before the war.