Even though the Illinois no longer exists, a small fragment of it remains to remind us of what might have been. America’s ...

Twenty-four Essex-class aircraft carriers were built for the U.S. Navy during World War II, and only two did not continue their service during the Cold War. One of those was the USS Franklin (CV-13).

Last week two more powerful Essex-class carriers, the Bennington and the Shangri-La, were launched from East Coast shipyards. When they join the fleet, at least eleven of these 27,000-ton flattops ...

50-caliber machine guns. While this carrier was not as celebrated as other classes, it still earned two battle stars throughout the war. The Essex-class was an iconic group of aircraft carriers ...

At Newport News the 27,000-ton carrier Ticonderoga was launched, towed off to the fitting-out dock, the ninth of the new Essex class to be launched since 1942. Ticonderoga was also one of the ...