During the Korean war, my dad was an AA gunner loader on starboard side towards the stern on the Essex CVA-9 1951-1954. He told stories of Corsairs and Panther jets crashing on deck. As kids we used to look at his war chest that was filled with Essex year books showing all of the crew and dozens of photos. FYI Neil Armstrong was a jet pilot on the Esse CVA-9. RIP dad.
In my Navy flying career (1966-1970) I was fortunate to have logged landings on 4 different Essex class carriers, including the Essex. My early landings in the T-28, TS-2A and S-2E were on the USS Lexington (CVS-16 at the time). The first two aircraft were flown in earning my wings and the last one was the fleet operational aircraft flown in transitioning to the fleet and in my duty squadron VS-24. My next landings were on the USS Randolph (CVS-15) and USS Yorktown (CVS-10) when she replaced the decomissioned Randolph. In between our Air Group got some deck time on the USS Essex (CVS-9 at the time) when she was transitioning up the East Coast back to her home port of Quonset Point NAS. We only had a short time and made the most of it to get in some carrier landing time. We needed to stay current. They were not happy for it meant that the Essex and her embarked Air Group got back to Quonset Point a day later than planned. All of the Essex class carriers were good ships. Of course by the time I was flying onto and off them, their configuration had changed materially, with hurricane bows and angled flight decks. Some had replaced their hydraulic cats with steam cats to better operate with the jets. BTW - in the overhead sots of the Essex in this video you can plainly see the two tracks of the two flight deck catapults. With the rarely used hanger bay catapult (removed at the first opportunity) she had a total of 3 not 2. I don't know if the Essex got steam cats in one of her upgrades, the Randolph had hydraulic cats to the very end. They would really put you back in your seat. The Yorktown and Lexington both had steam cats that while easier on the aircraft (and crew) had longer power strokes.
My father never spoke of his time in the service. I did however find through records that he served as a radio man on the Essex. Very very proud of him and all that sailed on her during WW2
My uncle's last flight off of the Essex was November 11, 1944. His plane was shot down and he was buried at sea, age 24. May he rest in the sweetest peace.
David McCampbell, the U.S. Navy's top flying ace of World War II, flew off the USS Essex (CV-9). He served as the commander of Air Group 15 (CAG-15) aboard the Essex from 1944, during which he achieved most of his aerial victories, including his remarkable performance in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot." McCampbell was one of my heroes when I was growing up. What a leader he was.
Made cruises on ESSEX in 1966 with VAW-12. Was on her when she hit the submarine NAUTILUS. Served on 3 ESSEX class carriers with VAW-12, ESSEX, INTREPID, & RANDOLPH.
@@paulroberts971 The Rando Cando was a happy ship when I was aboard her with VS-24.The air wing and ships company worked well together. When the Yorktown was brought over from the Pacific, the initial crewing was 1/3 old Yorktown crew, 1/3 Randolph crew and 1/3 new crew. While a good idea, they didn't gell.
This was my dad's first carrier. He spent 1943 flying a Hellcat from her. My dad told me that the first Hellcat was lost by hitting the remains of a Zero, the pilot shot down.
Wonderful story on the carrier USS Essex and thanks for sharing! My "old man" was on board another Essex class carrier, the USS Yorktown (CV-10), as an electronics mate towards the end of the Pacific campaign during WWII. He witnessed the attack on Okinawa and after that he figured he wouldn't survive the planned assault on Japan especially after witnessing another Essex Class carrier, the USS Bunker Hill, nearly sunk with a tremendous loss of life (346 dead). He once told me one of his thoughts at the time, "If they're fighting this hard for this piece of real estate (Okinawa), what's it going to be like when we attack the home islands of Japan?"
@@disseminationnetwork Wow! That's nice to hear. There's a picture of my dad in the WWII, CV10 Yorktown, "cruise book," titled "Into the Wind," showing him standing with several other sailors around what might be a radar screen pedestal. Perhaps your grandfather is in that same photo.
Really interesting and historical episode. An excellent movie to watch involving Essex-class carriers is “The Bridges at Tokyo-Ri”. Set during the Korean War, it has some great carrier operations involving F9F Panthers. Although the exterior shots were of the USS Oriskany and USS Kearsarge, the operations would be very similar to the Essex, at that time. If you have never seen the episode about Royce Dean Clayton, look it up on RUclips. It involves the Essex during the battle around the Philippines in late 1944. Truly a moving episode!
My uncle served as a gunnery officer on an Essex Class, USS Lexington CV-16. He was nearly killed when that kamikaze hit the after end of the island in November of '44. I miss him a lot!
She was 27 years old when decommissioned. Her name sake replacement, and my first ship, USS Essex LHD-2 will be commissioned for 32 years in October, and has 10 or more so years before she's scheduled to be decommissioned!
Although this was the story of CV-9, I'm surprised you didn't mention that Essex was the namesake of the Essex class carriers that were the mainstay of the US Navy's offensive operations against Japan. 32 were ordered in 1940 and 27 were built during the war. 17 were commissioned and 14 saw combat. We think of the powerful contribution made by these carriers during the war, but it is astonishing to think that they were designed in the 1930s, well ahead of that fateful day in December 1941. If FDR, the Navy, and Congress hadn't had that foresight, it would have been very hard to beat the Japanese.
In the opening sentence of my video, I state that she was the lead ship of her class and then discuss the reasons why her class was better than their predecessors. Your certainly right with your numbers and information, but this video is about the ship herself and not the class. I like to give each warship their own pedestal if will, to highlight each one's contributions and that of their crews.
All her accomplishments like Enterprise i don't get it these sailors and these historic ships should still be on station for our generations to appreciate and understand
Thought I might see more posts saying "Essex was a historic ship, should have been preserved as a museum ship somewhere," but for some reason, Essex got so little love...
@@ahseaton8353My Uncle Q.D. served on the CV-6 Enterprise. I was fortunate to find a book about it that I could read and pass on to him while he still lived.
Just the fact that Essex wasn't one of the aircraft carriers saved and made a museum ship is a travesty. She was the lead ship of her class and served with such distinction.
In my research I haven't found any indication that an effort was made to save her, but she would have fit in nicely alongside Massachusetts at battleship cove I feel.
She's apparently got quite the career From ensuring the end of the Japanese Empire, to defending South Korea, and enforcing quarantine blockade off Cuba to avoid any instances of nuclear annihilation
No, they didn’t: nobody fully realized even to the end of the war that battleships had become obsolete. What sank the Montanas was that the planned Panama Canal upgrades that they needed got pushed back, among other things. The US never figured out that battleships were now nothing more than pointlessly gigantic destroyers (if they had they’d also have cancelled the Iowas).
The Montana class lived on in an odd way. The Montana's hull and machinery lived on as the basis of the Midway Class carriers. Conversely, the hull and machinery from the Essex Class was reused as the basis of the Alaska Class "Very Heavy" Cruisers
Yup. It was a standard thing back in the day. The first 6 Essex class carriers had them. It was a way to get scout planes aloft when the deck was full.
If it's what I'm thinking of, it's positioned at right angles to the flight deck, and the plane is shot out sideways. Must have been very disconcerting and disorienting to go out that way. I've seen a still photo of a F6F being launched that way.
They took off from the hanger deck but how did they land? On the water and then lifted in? Or was there room to land on the flight deck? Just wondering.
It is unfortunate that any ship, even a storied carrier that provided outstanding service in multiple wars, get de-commisioned and scrapped like so much junk. Maybe if the steel could be re-cycled into another ship, it wouldn't feel like such a loss.
During the Korean war, my dad was an AA gunner loader on starboard side towards the stern on the Essex CVA-9 1951-1954. He told stories of Corsairs and Panther jets crashing on deck. As kids we used to look at his war chest that was filled with Essex year books showing all of the crew and dozens of photos. FYI Neil Armstrong was a jet pilot on the Esse CVA-9. RIP dad.
In my Navy flying career (1966-1970) I was fortunate to have logged landings on 4 different Essex class carriers, including the Essex. My early landings in the T-28, TS-2A and S-2E were on the USS Lexington (CVS-16 at the time). The first two aircraft were flown in earning my wings and the last one was the fleet operational aircraft flown in transitioning to the fleet and in my duty squadron VS-24. My next landings were on the USS Randolph (CVS-15) and USS Yorktown (CVS-10) when she replaced the decomissioned Randolph. In between our Air Group got some deck time on the USS Essex (CVS-9 at the time) when she was transitioning up the East Coast back to her home port of Quonset Point NAS. We only had a short time and made the most of it to get in some carrier landing time. We needed to stay current. They were not happy for it meant that the Essex and her embarked Air Group got back to Quonset Point a day later than planned.
All of the Essex class carriers were good ships. Of course by the time I was flying onto and off them, their configuration had changed materially, with hurricane bows and angled flight decks. Some had replaced their hydraulic cats with steam cats to better operate with the jets.
BTW - in the overhead sots of the Essex in this video you can plainly see the two tracks of the two flight deck catapults. With the rarely used hanger bay catapult (removed at the first opportunity) she had a total of 3 not 2. I don't know if the Essex got steam cats in one of her upgrades, the Randolph had hydraulic cats to the very end. They would really put you back in your seat. The Yorktown and Lexington both had steam cats that while easier on the aircraft (and crew) had longer power strokes.
Thank you for your service sir. My dad was a plank owner on the CV one oh USS YORKTOWN. Blessings to you all
GO US Navy! You're a bad ass with brass balls 4 flying off all those vessels & lived to tell us about it!! Thank You 4 the post sir! 🫡
Thank goodness for the folks who keep the history of US military and to the RUclipsrs who provide it to us
My father never spoke of his time in the service. I did however find through records that he served as a radio man on the Essex. Very very proud of him and all that sailed on her during WW2
My uncle's last flight off of the Essex was November 11, 1944. His plane was shot down and he was buried at sea, age 24. May he rest in the sweetest peace.
Salute!
David McCampbell, the U.S. Navy's top flying ace of World War II, flew off the USS Essex (CV-9). He served as the commander of Air Group 15 (CAG-15) aboard the Essex from 1944, during which he achieved most of his aerial victories, including his remarkable performance in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot." McCampbell was one of my heroes when I was growing up. What a leader he was.
Made cruises on ESSEX in 1966 with VAW-12. Was on her when she hit the submarine NAUTILUS. Served on 3 ESSEX class carriers with VAW-12, ESSEX, INTREPID, & RANDOLPH.
Thank you for your service
@@paulroberts971 The Rando Cando was a happy ship when I was aboard her with VS-24.The air wing and ships company worked well together. When the Yorktown was brought over from the Pacific, the initial crewing was 1/3 old Yorktown crew, 1/3 Randolph crew and 1/3 new crew. While a good idea, they didn't gell.
This was my dad's first carrier. He spent 1943 flying a Hellcat from her. My dad told me that the first Hellcat was lost by hitting the remains of a Zero, the pilot shot down.
I’ll thank you for your fathers service. They all were Bad Asses.
Wow, Dad flew a HELLCAT! You are so blessed to have had a father for a hero! I could listen to his stories all day.
@@jeffreydidier5821
My father was in Europe fighting the Nazis not the Japs
What a great video! Excellent naval aviation history!
Great ship. My uncle was a dive bomber pilot on the enterprise at the beginning of the war. He was lucky to survive.
That’s amazing. He was there from beginning and held the line during the toughest days. He probably knew Best and Mcclusky.
Thank you for highlighting the Essex
Wonderful story on the carrier USS Essex and thanks for sharing! My "old man" was on board another Essex class carrier, the USS Yorktown (CV-10), as an electronics mate towards the end of the Pacific campaign during WWII. He witnessed the attack on Okinawa and after that he figured he wouldn't survive the planned assault on Japan especially after witnessing another Essex Class carrier, the USS Bunker Hill, nearly sunk with a tremendous loss of life (346 dead). He once told me one of his thoughts at the time, "If they're fighting this hard for this piece of real estate (Okinawa), what's it going to be like when we attack the home islands of Japan?"
My grandfather on the same Yorktown late in war. He was in CIC operations center calling in bogeys!
@@disseminationnetwork Wow! That's nice to hear. There's a picture of my dad in the WWII, CV10 Yorktown, "cruise book," titled "Into the Wind," showing him standing with several other sailors around what might be a radar screen pedestal. Perhaps your grandfather is in that same photo.
Really interesting and historical episode.
An excellent movie to watch involving Essex-class carriers is “The Bridges at Tokyo-Ri”. Set during the Korean War, it has some great carrier operations involving F9F Panthers.
Although the exterior shots were of the USS Oriskany and USS Kearsarge, the operations would be very similar to the Essex, at that time.
If you have never seen the episode about Royce Dean Clayton, look it up on RUclips. It involves the Essex during the battle around the Philippines in late 1944. Truly a moving episode!
My uncle served as a gunnery officer on an Essex Class, USS Lexington CV-16. He was nearly killed when that kamikaze hit the after end of the island in November of '44. I miss him a lot!
My dad began his 32 yr Naval career as a 19 yo Hellcat pilot with VF-15 on ESSEX in 1944. He was one of the 27 surviving Aces of VF-15.
She was 27 years old when decommissioned. Her name sake replacement, and my first ship, USS Essex LHD-2 will be commissioned for 32 years in October, and has 10 or more so years before she's scheduled to be decommissioned!
Excellent history, thank you.
She earned her keep. Retired garlanded in honour.
I would like you to do a video on USS Belleau Wood CLV 24. My grandfather served on her during World War 2
Essex was quite a bird cage. Very storied in her career.
Although this was the story of CV-9, I'm surprised you didn't mention that Essex was the namesake of the Essex class carriers that were the mainstay of the US Navy's offensive operations against Japan. 32 were ordered in 1940 and 27 were built during the war. 17 were commissioned and 14 saw combat. We think of the powerful contribution made by these carriers during the war, but it is astonishing to think that they were designed in the 1930s, well ahead of that fateful day in December 1941. If FDR, the Navy, and Congress hadn't had that foresight, it would have been very hard to beat the Japanese.
In the opening sentence of my video, I state that she was the lead ship of her class and then discuss the reasons why her class was better than their predecessors. Your certainly right with your numbers and information, but this video is about the ship herself and not the class. I like to give each warship their own pedestal if will, to highlight each one's contributions and that of their crews.
@@TheValorVault That was what I thought! No harm, no foul!
Thanks for the upload, much appreciated :) !
My Dad was on the Essex as ATC senior chief, was my first visit as a kid to a navy ship.
Thanks for the video.
Great video!
Good stuffmatey
All her accomplishments like Enterprise i don't get it these sailors and these historic ships should still be on station for our generations to appreciate and understand
My maternal grandfather, GM 2ND Class Will Colbert was a "plank owner" on the U.S.S. ESSEX. He served from her initial commissioning in 1942 to 1946.
Imagine having just one Montana Class Battleship for all to see
My father was on a 5in gun crew on Essex after first serving on Wasp CV7 23:44
Served on Essex CVS 9 during the 60's with VS34
Thought I might see more posts saying "Essex was a historic ship, should have been preserved as a museum ship somewhere," but for some reason, Essex got so little love...
Even moreso for the USS Enterprise CV-6
Yes. Sadly there are several, yet precious few, hero ships left to us. They are treasures of history as far as I'm concerned.
@@francisbusa1074 At least Hornet CV-12 escaped the scrap yard by the skin of her teeth.
@@ahseaton8353My Uncle Q.D. served on the CV-6 Enterprise. I was fortunate to find a book about it that I could read and pass on to him while he still lived.
I was aboard her in 1964 in copenhagen unforgettable
Amazing!!!❤❤❤❤
What a long and historic career. I am always sad when these hero ships are stricken and broken up.
I can't believe they scrapped the Essex. She would have been a great museum ship.
Well done!
Just the fact that Essex wasn't one of the aircraft carriers saved and made a museum ship is a travesty.
She was the lead ship of her class and served with such distinction.
In my research I haven't found any indication that an effort was made to save her, but she would have fit in nicely alongside Massachusetts at battleship cove I feel.
Its amazing any Japanese plane could get through that defensive screen
I hope I am not wrong but the Essex featured in the film " the bridges at toko ri "
With mickey rooney and Bill holden. A great ship.
While it was an Essex class ship it was not the Essex itself but CV-34 USS Oriskany.
She's apparently got quite the career
From ensuring the end of the Japanese Empire, to defending South Korea, and enforcing quarantine blockade off Cuba to avoid any instances of nuclear annihilation
And now the Ford class is over 100,000 Wow.
Great Carrier 👍
impressive ship!
Why no mention of CVG 83 and the Okinawa campaign?
The Essex Class besides being lethal to the IJN the success of this class “sank” the proposed USS Montana class of mega battleships.
No, they didn’t: nobody fully realized even to the end of the war that battleships had become obsolete.
What sank the Montanas was that the planned Panama Canal upgrades that they needed got pushed back, among other things. The US never figured out that battleships were now nothing more than pointlessly gigantic destroyers (if they had they’d also have cancelled the Iowas).
The Montana class lived on in an odd way. The Montana's hull and machinery lived on as the basis of the Midway Class carriers.
Conversely, the hull and machinery from the Essex Class was reused as the basis of the Alaska Class "Very Heavy" Cruisers
@ahseaton8353 very true indeed
Like to get more info on storm damage situation
Catapult on the hanger deck. are you sure about that ?
Yup. It was a standard thing back in the day. The first 6 Essex class carriers had them. It was a way to get scout planes aloft when the deck was full.
If it's what I'm thinking of, it's positioned at right angles to the flight deck, and the plane is shot out sideways. Must have been very disconcerting and disorienting to go out that way. I've seen a still photo of a F6F being launched that way.
Yes
They took off from the hanger deck but how did they land? On the water and then lifted in? Or was there room to land on the flight deck? Just wondering.
@@IcelanderUSer There's no reason that they couldn't just land on the carrier deck when they came back.
USS Franklin was the best of her kind.
Essex algorithm comment.
@@lewismitchell5367 thank you
33 knots Jeebus
did he say she had catapults?
Yes, she had one added to the starboard side of her flight deck and another one in her hanger deck after her shakedown cruise April-May 1943.
@@TheValorVault interesting...was it ever used in combat?
@@georgeparris8293 cruisers had them too
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is unfortunate that any ship, even a storied carrier that provided outstanding service in multiple wars, get de-commisioned and scrapped like so much junk. Maybe if the steel could be re-cycled into another ship, it wouldn't feel like such a loss.
Sorry but can't do the AI voice.
Why can't you peoplelearn correct pronunciation of locations in ur vidios.
...use to work out at KWA
FORMER CAPT USAF TO THE PILOTS DIED\STILL ALIVE \ AFERMITIVE \5X5
I ❤ this class of WW2 aircraft carrier! The design had input from heros of the line. Just Bad Ass! 🫡