The USS Antietam Essex-class aircraft carrier was constructed too late to serve in World War II, but the warship participated mightily in the Korean War.
The USS Bennington, part of the U.S. Navy's Essex-class aircraft carriers, played a pivotal role during World War II and beyond. With a displacement of 34,000 tons and capable of speeds up to 17 miles per hour, the Bennington was a formidable presence, enhanced by innovative deck-edge elevators that increased flight deck area and operational efficiency.
USS Valley Forge was constructed as one of the “long-hull” Essex-class ships, known as the Ticonderoga subclass. Beginning in 1943, ships in this class featured lengthened bows above the waterline, which increased deck space and improved arcs of fire.
During the Vietnam War, USS Shangri-la continued her Second Fleet and Sixth Fleet assignments. She earned three battle stars for her service in the war. In 1965, Shangri-la suffered her greatest tragedy in 1965, when the destroyer Newman K. Perry accidently rammed her during war exercises, resulting in one death.