The Supercarriers: The Forrestal and Kitty Hawk Class

by Andrew Faltum

Overview

The Supercarriers is a comprehensive historical overview with extensive photos, maps, drawings, and operational detail, including all air-wing deployments. It covers all of the Forrestal class supercarriers and the follow-on ships, which are basically of the same design. The book is heavily illustrated with over one hundred illustrations and maps covering the Western Pacific, Vietnam, Mediterranean, Middle East, Indian Ocean, and Caribbean. The front end paper illustration shows the Saratoga as representative of the Forrestal class with port and starboard profiles and an overhead view. The rear end paper displays similar views of the Constellation as part of the Kitty Hawk class.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781591141808
Publisher:	Naval Institute Press
Publication date:	10/15/2014
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Andrew Faltum served as an air intelligence officer on board USS Midway home ported in Yokosuka, Japan, before joining the Navy Reserve, where he retired as a commander. He is the author of The Independence Light Aircraft Carriers and The Essex Aircraft Carriers.

Editorial Reviews

"The book outlines the role naval aviation and the Supercarriers played in almost every single conflict throughout the Cold War. Indeed, the reader will be hard pushed to find a conflict in which the carriers were absent. On a final note the appendix has a treasure trove of details which any technical enthusiast will find invaluable." —Aerospace Magazine, Royal Aeronautical Society “This is an admirable piece of work, and Faltum has provided clear and useful explanations for the designations of US naval aircraft and the air wings to which they were assigned. The book is probably worth purchasing for these alone.”—Warship 2016 “‘The Supercarriers’ provides a detailed history of these important assets that defined the Navy for decades, and provided platforms for many of the Navy’s elite aircraft. There are also individual histories for each carrier and a history table annotating individual air wings and squadrons for every ship’s deployment. Overall, ‘The Supercarriers’ is an excellent reference for carrier and Naval Aviation enthusiasts.”—Naval Aviation News "This is a book that will stand the test of time. If you’re interested in the U. S. Navy, you must have this book in your library."—Journal of America's Military Past "The Supercarriers is great for those looking for a comprehensive introduction to this subject. Wargamers may find the technical specifications and air group listing useful. ...The Supercarriers should interest those whose primary focus is history."—Naval Historical Foundation "This is a very readable overview of the operational history of these ships. The author has supported this with a wide range of photographs, maps and appendices of technical information. Information on the ships; data about their aircraft ranging from lumbering piston-engine Skyraiders to Tomcat and Hornet supersonic jets; information on their weapons systems and on the deployment and composition of their Air Wings."—World Ship Society: Warships 178 “The strength of this book is in the author’s ability to take technical subjects and describe them in an easy to understand way, thus enabling readers with little knowledge of naval and aviation matters to follow his descriptions and explanations. At the same time, the author’s attention to detail should satisfy even readers who served aboard one of these mighty vessels. Each chapters covers significant events in the histories of these ships, from their conception in the early days of the atomic era to their eventual retirement in the post-Cold War period.”—Military Heritage "This is an excellent study of these ocean-going giants and their equipment."—Aeroplane Monthly (UK)

From the Publisher