The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.

Saturday, July 30, 2022

The U.S. Navy in WW II and Afterwards-- Part 1

From the July 29, 2022, 19fortyfive site  "Why the Navy dropped nuclear  bombs on aircraft carriers and battleships" by PeterSuciu.

At the outbreak of World War II, the British Royal Navy was the strongest  maritime force in the world.  However, by the end of the conflict the United States Navy had ovetaken it for strongest even though it was tasked with fighting a two-front war on the seas.

But the United States proved up to the challenge and produced a massive number of warships.  Even so, the U.S. fleet was a considerable force at  the outbreak of the wat.

In  1939, the U.S. Navy had 15 battleships, 5 aircraft carriers, 18 heavy cruisers and 19 light cruisers.  Even as a new class of battleships entered service during the war, the vaunted Iowa-class, the focus had shiffed to  aircraft carriers, of which 16 super carriers were built along with dozens of smaller carriers.

When the fighting ended in 1945, the United States had more warships than any other power and there was the consideration of what to do with all of the,.

For many of the older ones, they were used as test targets for a new kind of weapon.

Nuclear.

--GreGen


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