The USS Franklin (CV-13), part of the prolific Essex-class aircraft carriers, played a pivotal role in World War II's Pacific Theater. Commissioned in 1944, it was named after Benjamin Franklin and the 1775 Revolutionary War schooner.
In the 1980s, amidst Cold War tensions and a substantial Soviet military buildup, the U.S. Navy reactivated its four Iowa-class battleships as part of President Reagan's initiative to expand the Navy to 600 ships.
The U.S. Navy originally called for six planned Iowa-class battleships, which were authorized in three batches of two. One nearly became an aircraft carrier. Enter the story of the USS Illinois.
After a Category 4 typhoon rocked Guam last week, the United States ordered an aircraft carrier strike group to assist in the recovery efforts of the island. While aircraft carriers are usually used to wage war, in times of peace they can fill many other roles, and when their time is done it is left […]