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British & Commonwealth Warships & Aircraft Carriers - history

A-Z British & Commonwealth Aircraft Carriers

United States Warships & Aircraft Carriers

A-Z of United States Aircraft Carriers

Axis, German & Japanese Warships & Aircraft Carriers

Soviet and Russian Warships & Aircraft Carriers

Naval Establishment and Naval Bases

Book category - United States Aircraft carriers (by alphabetical order)

New publications 2002
 
 

Uss Los Angeles: The Navy's Venerable Airship and Aviation Technology  by William F. Athoff, William F. Althoff. Brasseys, Inc.; ISBN: 1574884743
	This is the account of the USN airship Uss Los Angeles. Click here to view details
Paperback  336 pages (August 2002)

 
 

Sailors to the End: The Deadly Fire on the USS Forrestal and the Heroes Who Fought It  by Gregory A.Freeman. William Morrow & Co; ISBN: 0066212677
	On July 29, 1967, tragedy struck one of the mightiest aircraft carriers in the U.S. fleet, the USS Forrestal. One of its jets accidentally fired a rocket across the flight deck and into a plane occupied by pilot John McCain. The lieutenant barely escaped his burning jet before one of its 1,000-pound bombs exploded, setting off a horrifying chain reaction. The fires -- which took days to extinguish nearly destroyed the ship and took the lives of 134 men. Click here to view details
Hardcover - 320 pages  (July 9, 2002)

 
 
 

The Big E: The Story of the USS Enterprise by Edward Peary Stafford, Paul Stillwell (Introduction). Naval Institute Press; ISBN: 1557509980
	A lasting memorial to the USS Enterprise, this classic tale of the carrier that contributed more than any other single warship to the naval victory in the Pacific has remained a favorite World War II story for more than  twenty-five years. The Big E participated in nearly every major engagement of the war against Japan and earned a total of twenty battle stars. The Halsey-Doolittle Raid; the Battles of Midway, Santa Cruz,  Guadalcanal, the Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf; and the invasion of Iwo Jima. Click here to view details
Paper back - 616 pages  (May 2002)

 

The Independence Light Aircraft Carriers by Andrew Faltum. Nautical & Aviation Pub Co of Amer; ISBN: 1877853623.
	Naval aviation and aircraft carrier enthusiast and former intelligence officer Faltum details the light carriers that formed part of the fast carrier task forces of World War II Click here to view details
Hardcover -  (April 2002)

 

The Men of the "Gambier Bay" By Edwin P. Hoyt, Thomas H. Moorer (Introduction). Lyons Press. ISBN: 1585746436
	This is the vivid story of men at all levels-from the captain to the seamen-and the Japanese they faced in battle, first at the Marianas in June 1944 and finally on October 25, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. In that engagement, the Navy bloodied the Japanese sorely, but at a grim price: The Gambier Bay became the only U.S. aircraft carrier in World War II to be sunk by naval gunfire.  Click here to view details
Hardcover - 254 pages  (2002)
See Category A-Z index

"USS Abraham Lincoln"  by Barry D. Smith. Concord Publications; ISBN: 9623610459
	This is the account of the Uss Abraham Lincoln. Click here to view details
Paperback - 64 pages (15 November, 1995)

USS AKRON
 

Flying Hookers for the Macon by Thom Hook. Airsho Pub; ISBN: 0960150641
	The story and details of the LTA Lighter than air carrier Uss Macon are intertwined with biographies of the most notable LTA crewmen. The book starts out talking about Mr. Moody Erwin a crewmember on the Uss Akron. Hook concentrates on their WWII and post WWII or pre Macon careers. The book provides information on the crash of the USS Macon and general information regarding lighter than air vehicles. There is also a LTA bibliography and a detailed crew list. Is a biographical chapter on Ernie Pyle and a chapter on the Japanese balloon bombs of WWII and the future of lighter than air vehicles. Click here to view details
Hardcover - 192 pages  (November 2001)

USS AMERICA
 

Uss America in Detail and Scale: Cva-66, Cv-66 (D&S, Vol. 34)  by Bert Kinzey. Squadron/Signal Pubns; ISBN: 0830602038
	This is the story of Uss America in Detail and Scale: Cva-66, Cv-66. Click here to view details
(Paperback - 72 pages - October 1989)

USS CORAL SEA 
 

Uss Coral Sea. Turner Pub Co; ISBN: 1563110490
	This is the account of the Uss Coral Sea, interesting and well researched book. Click here to view details
(Hardcover - January 1997)

USS ENTERPRISE
 

The Big E: The Story of the USS Enterprise by Edward Peary Stafford, Paul Stillwell (Introduction). Naval Institute Press; ISBN: 1557509980
	A lasting memorial to the USS Enterprise, this classic tale of the carrier that contributed more than any other single warship to the naval victory in the Pacific has remained a favorite World War II story for more than  twenty-five years. The Big E participated in nearly every major engagement of the war against Japan and earned a total of twenty battle stars. The Halsey-Doolittle Raid; the Battles of Midway, Santa Cruz,  Guadalcanal, the Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf; and the invasion of Iwo Jima. Click here to view details
Paper back - 616 pages  (May 2002)

 

USS Enterprise (CV-6) History by Philip A. St. John.  Turner Pub Co; ISBN: 1563113562. ISBN: 1563113562
	What makes this book truly unique is that 60 of its 144 pages were written by men and officers who actually served in the Big E: Dusty Kleiss, Will Norberg, W. E. Roberts, Mark Roses, Jack Long (a CPO in my dad's division, V-5), Norm Zafft and many others. Some men -- like Kleiss and Roberts -- can be found in the history books; many others are "ordinary" sailors whose efforts made Enterprise the most successful and feared warship in US naval history. Click here to view details
Hardcover - 144 pages  (1997)

 

Uss Enterprise  15Mm Deck  Plans (Fasa Games). Berkley Pub Group; ISBN: 0425066738
	This is about Uss Enterprise Click here to view details
(Paperback - August 1983)

 
 
 

U.S.S. Enterprise (Cv-Six, the Most Decorated Ship of World War II : A Pictorial History) by Steven Ewing. Pictorial Histories Pub Co; ISBN: 0933126247.
	This is an excellent book on the first aircraft carrier Enterprise. The Big E was the most decorated ship of World War II and had a charmed life. She fought in nearly all of the major naval battles in the Pacific and was awarded 20 battle stars by the government. The Enterprise was also the ONLY carrier operating in the Pacific for a time during the war. This book has good photos and the information is detailed, without being overwhelming for a basic book.  Click here to view details
Paperback (1982)
See Category A-Z index

USS FORRESTAL
 

Sailors to the End: The Deadly Fire on the USS Forrestal and the Heroes Who Fought It  by Gregory A.Freeman. William Morrow & Co; ISBN: 0066212677
	On July 29, 1967, tragedy struck one of the mightiest aircraft carriers in the U.S. fleet, the USS Forrestal. One of its jets accidentally fired a rocket across the flight deck and into a plane occupied by pilot John McCain. The lieutenant barely escaped his burning jet before one of its 1,000-pound bombs exploded, setting off a horrifying chain reaction. The fires -- which took days to extinguishnearly destroyed the ship and took the lives of 134 men. Click here to view details
Hardcover - 320 pages  (July 9, 2002)

 
 
 

Lock on No. 14 : USS Forrestal "Gateway to the Danger Zone" by Francois Verlinden. Verlinden Productions, Inc.; ISBN: 1930607113
	This special fourteenth edition of the phenomenal LOCK ON series takes us aboard the mighty U.S.N aircraft carrier USS Forrestal. Crammed with stunning full color photography, this book focuses on actual air operations in the Mediterranean Sea in the early nineties, making this a unique opportunity to see the U.S.A.s Big stick in action.    Beautiful full color photography captures cutting edge U.S.N. Aircraft in action, such as the F 14 Tomcat, the F-18 Hornet, the A-6 Intruder, The EA-6B Prowler, the S-3B Viking, as well as the men and equipment used to keep the operations moving. This very attractive and in-depth book belongs in the collection of any aviation enthusiast, scale modeler, or USN veteran.  Click here to view details
Hardcover - 48 pages  (May 1, 1999)

USS FRANKLIN
 

Uss Franklin (Cv-13)  Turner Pub Co; ISBN: 999766745X
	This is the history of the carrier Uss Franklin (Cv-13) Click here to view details
(Hardcover - January 1997)

 

Uss Franklin (Cv-13) Original Papers.  Turner Pub Co; ISBN: 1563111454
	This is about Uss Fanklin. Click here to view details
Hardcover - January 1997

 

Uss Franklin (Cv-13): The Ship That Wouldn't Die.   Turner Pub Co; ISBN: 0938021788
	This is the account of Uss Franklin.  Click here to view details
Hardcover -  (January 1997)

USS GAMBIER BAY
 

The Men of the "Gambier Bay" By Edwin P. Hoyt, Thomas H. Moorer (Introduction). Lyons Press. ISBN: 1585746436
	This is the vivid story of men at all levels-from the captain to the seamen-and the Japanese they faced in battle, first at the Marianas in June 1944 and finally on October 25, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. In that engagement, the Navy bloodied the Japanese sorely, but at a grim price: The Gambier Bay became the only U.S. aircraft carrier in World War II to be sunk by naval gunfire.  Click here to view details
Hardcover - 254 pages  (2002)
See Category A-Z index

 
 

The Escort Carrier "Gambier Bay" By Al Ross. Brassey's: Conway Maritime; ISBN: 0851776132.
	Escort carriers began as conversions from merchant ship hulls, but soon evolved into sophisticated warships. This text examines the US Navy escort carrier "Gambier Bay", a mid-war Casablanca class ship which operated with distinction in the Pacific, before being lost off Samar in 1944. Click here to view details
Hardcover - 128 pages (1993)
See Category A-Z index

USS HORNET
 
 
 

The Ship That Held the Line : The U.S.S. Hornet and the First Year of the Pacific War. By Lisle Abbott Rose, Naval Institute Press; ISBN: 1557507295.
	An interesting story about the USS Hornet, one of America's prewar aircraft carriers, from her launch in 1939 to her sinking by the Japanese. During the crucial first twelve months of WWII, with the United States reeling from Pearl Harbor and other defeats, the USS Hornet and a handful of other carriers were the only ships the U.S. could use to stop and eventually push back the oncoming Japanese. The author concentrates on how it was like to live aboard these floating airfields and describes the triumphs and tragedies of this particular ship; from the launching of Dolittle's famous raid against Tokyo, to the failure of the ship's air group at Midway. In what is the most vivid chapter, the author recreates the Hornet's last battle at Santa Cruz, where the ship finally succumbs to Japanese torpedos.  Click here to view details
Hardcover (November 1995)
See Category A-Z index

 

USS Hornet : the history of the USS Hornet veterans. Turner Pub.; ISBN: 1563113767;
	This is the history of the USS Hornet  Click here to view details
Hardcover - 96 pages

 

Warship's Battle Damage 1: Uss Hornet Cv-8 by Robert Sumrall (Editor). Pictorial Histories Publishing Co. Inc.; ISBN: 0933126654;
	This is the account of the Hornet. Click here to view details
Paperback - (December 1985)

USS INDEPENDENCE
 

The Independence Light Aircraft Carriers by Andrew Faltum. Nautical & Aviation Pub Co of Amer; ISBN: 1877853623.
	Naval aviation and aircraft carrier enthusiast and former intelligence officer Faltum details the light carriers that formed part of the fast carrier task forces of World War II Click here to view details
Hardcover -  (April 2002)

USS INTREPID
 

Uss Intrepid. (Cv 11) by Robert F. Sumrall. Pictorial Histories Publishing Co. Inc.; ISBN: 092952120X;
	This is the story of the aircraft carrier Uss Intrepid. Click here to view details
Paperback - June 1989

 

Uss Intrepid Cv-11 Cva-11 Cvs-11.  by Anthony F Zollo. Turner Pub Co; ISBN: 1563111071
	This is a 50th anniversary edition about the story of  the Fighting "I", an illustrated history.  Click here to view details
Hardcover - (January 1997)

USS JOHN F. KENNEDY
 

Supercarrier: An Inside  Account of Life Aboard the World's Most Powerful Ship, the Uss John F. Kennedy by George C. Wilson. MacMillan Publishing Company; ISBN: 0026301202;
	This is the vivid account of a moden super carrier. Click here to view details
(Hardcover -  September 1986)

 

Uss John F. Kennedy: In Detail & Scale (Detail & Scale, Vol 42: Includes Coverage of Carrier Air Wing Three)  by Bert Kinzey, Terry Spohn (Editor). Squadron/Signal Pubns; ISBN: 0890241805
	This is a reference work on the John F Kennedy. Click here to view details
(Paperback - 72 pages August 1993)

USS LEXINGTON
 

Lady Lex and the Blue Ghost: A Pictorial History of the Uss Lexingtons Cv-2 and Cv-16 by Steve Ewing. Pictorial Histories Publishing Co. Inc.; ISBN: 0933126352;
	This is the account of the Uss Lexington, Lady Lex. Click here to view details
Paperback - 41 pages  (December 1983)

 

The Lexington Goes Down: A Fighting Carrier's Last Hours in the Coral Sea  by A. A. Hoehling. Stackpole Books; ISBN: 0811725502
	This is an easily read collection of first hand remembrances of the loss of the first carrier Lexington, CV2. The author has gathered a large number of accounts from both crew members of the Lexington and from those on the escorting vessels. The book is divided into two parts - the first focusing on the attack on the carrier when there was hope she would survive and the second focusing on the events leading to her loss.  Click here to view details
(Paperback - 208 pages - February 1994)

 

Uss Lexington (Detail and Scale, Vol 29)  by Bert Kinzey  Squadron/Signal Pubns; ISBN: 083068039X
	This is the vivid account of the Lex. Click here to view details
(Paperback - May 1988).

 

Carrier Lexington (Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students, Texas A&m University : No. 61)  by Hugh Power, Robert J. Cressman (Introduction). ISBN: 089096680X
	Carrier Lexington one of the most famous and formidable of the US Navy warships, lies permanently berthed at Corpus Christi, Texas. Lexington entered the World War II as the second of the greatest Essex class carriers to be commissioned. One of the most decorated of all US carriers during the war, Lexington destroyed more than a thousand Japanese aircraft and sunk more than a million tons.  Click here to view details
(Hardcover - January 1996)

 

The Lexington Class Carriers by Robert C. Stern.  United States Naval Inst.; ISBN: 1557505039
	This is the story of the Lexington class carriers. Click here to view details
Hardcover - 160 pages  (May 1993)

USS LOS ANGELES
 

Uss Los Angeles: The Navy's Venerable Airship and Aviation Technology  by William F. Athoff, William F. Althoff. Brasseys, Inc.; ISBN: 1574884743
	This is the account of the USN airship Uss Los Angeles. Click here to view details
Paperback  336 pages (August 2002)

USS MACON
 

Flying Hookers for the Macon by Thom Hook. Airsho Pub; ISBN: 0960150641
	The story and details of the LTA Lighter than air carrier Uss Macon are intertwined with biographies of the most notable LTA crewmen. The book starts out talking about Mr. Moody Erwin a crewmember on the Uss Akron. Hook concentrates on their WWII and post WWII or pre Macon careers. The book provides information on the crash of the USS Macon and general information regarding lighter than air vehicles. There is also a LTA bibliography and a detailed crew list. Is a biographical chapter on Ernie Pyle and a chapter on the Japanese balloon bombs of WWII and the future of lighter than air vehicles. Click here to view details
Hardcover - 192 pages  (November 2001)

NIMITZ CLASS
 

How They Work: Nimitz Class Supercarrier by Hugh W. Cowin. Bdd Promotional Book Co; ISBN: 0792451422
	This is the story of the Nimitz Class Supercarrier  Click here to view details
Hardcover - (March 1990)

 

Nimitz Class by Patrick Robinson. HarperCollins; ISBN: 0060187557
	Adventure novel. Patrick Robinson's blockbuster about a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier suddenly vaporized by a terrorist submarine.The villain is an Iraqui agent. He has been trained by the British while masquerading as an Israeli.He is in fact one of Saddam Hussein's best agents. He uses his training and submarine mastery to pull off a daring terrorist act.The British and American authorities hunt for him worldwide.He does prove to be an elusive quarry Click here to view details
Hardcover - 432 pages  (June 1997)

USS PETROF BAY
 

Escort Carrier WW II: War in the Pacific on the aircraft carrier USS Petrof Bay  by Rick Cline.   R.A. Cline Publishing; ISBN: 0966323505
	This is the account of an escort carrier, USS Petrof Bay. 22 photos, many never before published. 1 map  Click here to view details
(Paperback - 225 pages July 1998)

USS PRINCETON
 

Carrier Down : The Story of the Sinking of the U.S.S. Princeton (Cvl-23) . By Thomas I. Bradshaw, Marsha L. Clark. Eakin Pubns; ISBN: 0890157731.
	From the first hand accounts of dog fights, related by the veterans themselves, to the heroric effort to save the ill fated ship during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the authors present never before printed insight into both the ship and the crew. These first hand accounts were collected over the years by interviewing the participants at veteran reunions and recollections of Mr. Bradshaw, himself a crew member of the USS Princeton. Click here to view details
Hardcover (November 1990)
See Category A-Z index

USS RANGER
 

Uss Ranger: Navy's First Flattop from Keel to Mast, 1934-46  by Robert J. Cressman. Brasseys, Inc.; ISBN: 1574883933
	This is the history of the first flattop, Uss Ranger. Click here to view details
(Hardcover - March 1982)

USS SARATOGA
 

The Uss Saratoga: Remembering One of America's Great Aircraft Carriers 1956-1994 by Jane Tanner. Longstreet Press; ISBN: 156352189X
	This is the history of the Saratoga. Excellent photography and outstanding commentary from those who served aboard her (including an interview and picture of its first CO). Truly a refreshing walk down memory lane. Click here to view details
Hardcover - 254 pages  (December 1994)

 
 
 

USS Saratoga CV-3: An Illustrated History of the Legendary Aircraft Carrier 1927-1946. By John Fry  Designed by Ian Robertson. Schiffer Publishing Ltd; ISBN: 076430089X.
	Summary of the history of the legendary Saratoga.  Click here to view details
Hardcover - 176 pages (August  1996)
See Category A-Z index

 

USS TICONDEROGA
 

USS Ticonderogo  MindScape; ISBN: 0791117413
	This is the story of USS Ticonderogo Click here to view details
Edition: Audio CD   (April 1995)

 

USS WASP
 

Uss Wasp  (Cv-18)  Turner Pub Co; ISBN: 1563110857
	This is the history of Uss Wasp (Cv-18) Click here to view details
Hardcover -  (January 1997)

USS YORKTOWN
 

Return to Midway: The Quest to Find the Yorktown and the Other Lost Ships from the Pivotal Battle of the Pacific War by Robert D. Ballard, et al. National Geographic Society; ISBN: 0792275004;
	On the morning of June 7, 1942, six months to the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the USS Yorktown "turned over on her port side and sank in about 3,000 fathoms of water with all battle flags flying." The Battle of Midway was finally over. On the morning of May 19, 1998, Robert D. Ballard stared into a video monitor hoping for a glimpse of metal on the bottom of the sea. "Thar she blows! Bingo!" After almost three weeks out, painstakingly scanning the ocean floor with high-altitude sonar, and many months of research and planning, Ballard and his crew had spotted the Yorktown some three miles down. The wreck was in remarkably good condition: "It was as if we had stumbled on the ship a few minutes after it made its death plunge." Click here to view details
Hardcover - 191 pages  (October 1999)

 

God Was at Midway: The Sinking of the Uss Yorktown (Cu-5) and the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway by Stanford E., Jr. Linzey, Dahk Knox (Editor). Black Forrest Book Promotions; ISBN: 1881116808;
	Chaplain Stanford E. Linzey's book-God Was At Midway-has incorporated the author's love of God, wife, and call to duty. This is the ultimate war story of love and sacrifice, the Godly wife who prayed for her husband and stood with him no matter what, while he faced possible death while many of his shipmates suffer horribly. Click here to view details
Paper back - 254 pages  (January 1999)

 

That Gallant Ship Uss Yorktown Cv-5: U.S.S. Yorktown Cv-5 by Robert J. Cressman. Pictorial Histories Publishing Co. Inc.; ISBN: 0933126573
	This is the story of the Yorktown. Click here to view details
Paperback - (June 1985)