Kitty Hawk class aircraft carrier

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Kitty Hawk class supercarrier

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Class Overview

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Class TypeSupercarrier

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Class NameKitty Hawk

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Preceded ByForestal-class supercarrier

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Succeded ByUSS Enterprise (CVN-65),Nimitz-class supercarrier

Related Topics:
USS ''Enterprise'' (CVN-65) - ''Nimitz''-class supercarrier

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Ships of the Class:Kitty Hawk, Constellation, America

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The Kitty Hawk class supercarriers of the United States Navy were an incremental improvement on the Forrestal-class vessels. Three were built, all in the first half of the 1960s:

Related Topics:
Supercarrier - United States Navy - ''Forrestal''-class - 1960s

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• Kitty Hawk (CV-63) (1961)
• Constellation (CV-64) (1961)
• America (CVA-66) (1965)

The biggest differences from the Forrestals are greater length, and a different placement of elevators; two are forward of the island, with a third at the portside stern. The movement of the #4 elevator from the forward to the after end of the angle made it useful for aircraft movement, since the forward-end elevator was useless as it was in both the landing path and in the launch path of the #3 and #4 catapults.

Related Topics:
Elevator - Island

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Each was built at a different shipyard.

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Kitty Hawk and Constellation were later updated in an SLEP program; but America was scheduled for a few years later than her sisters, at a time of budget cuts, and was decommissioned in 1996. America was in very poor condition when she was decommissioned, and therefore despite her historical significance was not held as a donation asset. She was expended as a live-fire target and sunk on 14 May 2005.

Related Topics:
SLEP - 14 May - 2005

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John F. Kennedy (CV-67) is similar, but has enough differences that it is usually placed in its own class.

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