Dragon 7064 USS ANTIETAM CV-36

USS Antietam (CV-36) was an American aircraft carrier, the keel of which was laid in March 1943, launched in August 1944, and entered service with the US Navy in January 1945. The length of the ship - at the time of launching - was 271 m, breadth at the waterline 28 m, and full displacement - 41,700 tons. The maximum speed of the USS Antietam aircraft carrier was up to 33 knots, and its main armament was from 90 to 100 airplanes.

USS Antietam was the eighteenth Essex-class aircraft carrier and the seventh of the Ticonderoga sub-type. Ships of this type were the main American aircraft carriers during the Pacific War of 1943-1945. The Ticonderoga sub-type differed from the other Essex-class ships mainly in terms of an elongated hull and even stronger anti-aircraft armament. The genus Essex and the subtype Ticonderoga included as many as 24 aircraft carriers that entered the line until the Japanese capitulation in September 1945! Their construction was based on the experience gained from the operation of Lexington and Yorktown units, as well as not having to comply with any tonnage restrictions. They focus primarily on the number of planes taken and the maximum speed at the expense of the armor of the landing deck. Interestingly, the Essex-class aircraft carriers were built in such a way that the hangar was not an integral part of the fuselage, but a structure suspended under the flight deck. Such a solution made the ships of this type relatively easy to damage, but much more difficult to sink as a result of an air attack. The USS Antietam (CV-36) aircraft carrier did not take part in the actions against Japan during World War II, but in the period 1945-1948 it operated in the Far East, frequently calling at Japanese ports. In 1949, the carrier was placed in reserve, but returned to active service in 1951, was thoroughly modernized in 1952 and took part in the final phase of the Korean War (1950-1953). The ship was decommissioned in 1963 and was sold for scrap in 1974.