The Forrestal-class supercarriers redefined naval power by integrating massive size with an angled deck

Wars & Conflicts · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In the 1950s, the United States Navy launched the Forrestal class, the first true supercarriers. Weighing 75,000 tons, these vessels introduced an angled flight deck and a deep-hulled design that finally solved the stability issues of their predecessors. They were engineering marvels that fundamentally changed how jet aircraft operated at sea.

The Forrestal class emerged as a response to the limitations of post-World War II carriers like the Midway class, which suffered from poor seakeeping and limited aviation capacity. By incorporating an angled deck, a large island, and a deep-hulled structure that integrated the armored flight deck into the hull itself, the Navy created a platform that was 100 feet longer and nearly 20 feet wider than previous designs. This massive scale allowed for an air wing of 80 to 100 jet aircraft, a significant leap over the 65 to 75 carried by the Midway class.

Despite their revolutionary status, the ships were not without flaws. The initial design struggled with elevator placement; the portside elevator was awkwardly positioned in the landing and launch path of aircraft, a problem later corrected in the successor Kitty Hawk class. Furthermore, the original plan for a retractable island was abandoned due to mechanical failures and concerns over smoke fouling, leading to the adoption of a large, fixed island that provided superior control over air operations. Defensive armament also proved problematic, with sponson-mounted guns eventually being replaced by missile systems and close-in weapon systems.

The class consisted of four ships: Forrestal, Saratoga, Ranger, and Independence. While the first two were originally laid down as axial-deck carriers and modified during construction, the latter pair benefited from minor design improvements, including a single island mast and a more closed fantail. These vessels served the Navy for decades, with the final ship decommissioned in 1998. By the late 1990s, the class had reached the end of its operational life, and all four ships were eventually scrapped in Brownsville, Texas, between 2014 and 2017.

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