U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History

The Norman Friedman Illustrated Design History series of U.S. warships books has been an industry standard for three decades and has sold thousands of copies worldwide. To mark and celebrate this achievement, the Naval Institute Press is proud to make these books available once more. Digitally remastered for enhanced photo resolution and quality, corrected, and updated, this series will continue to serve–for scholars and enthusiasts alike–as the foundation for U.S. naval warship research and reference for years to come.

U.S. Aircraft Carriers, Revised Edition is one the most comprehensive references available on the entire development of U.S. Aircraft Carriers, starting in 1920, with USS Langley CV-1, continuing to Enterprise, the mass-produced Essex-class, and the large Midway-class of post-World War II. Friedman authoritatively analyzes the design and performance histories of this popular type. The long careers of the Nimitz-class and the new Ford-class are also included. Like the other books in Friedman’s design-history series, U.S. Aircraft Carriers is based largely on formerly classified internal U.S. Navy records.

Friedman, a leading authority on U.S. warships, explains the political and technical rationales for building battleships and recounts the evolution of each design. A.D. Baker III has created detailed scale outboard and plan views of each ship class and of major modifications to many classes. Numerous photographs complement the text.