Lexington-class
USS Saratoga
An item referred to the N.&M. Record dated 1925 no. 18 reporting that the aircraft carrier Saratoga, the largest ship ever in the USA, was launched. Length 850 (waterline)-890 (over all) feet and a displacement of 33.000 tons. She could carry with her 72 aircraft including 31 bombers. Total building costs 45 million US dollars. The horsepower of 180.000 hp was to make a speed of 39 miles possible.(1)
Note
1. Pennant CV-3. Ordered in 1917 as a battle cruiser, laid down at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation on 25 September 1920, reclassified into a carrier on 1 July 1922, launched on 7 April 1925, commissioned on 16 November 1927, on 1 and 25 July used during atomic bomb tests and sunk and finally stricken on 15 August 1946. Nicknamed Sara Maru, Sister Sara and Stripe-Stacked Sara. Of the Lexington-class. Never completed as battle cruisers due to the limitations of the Naval Treaty of Washington of 1922. Designed as a response on the Japanese Kongo-class battle cruisers. General technical specifications. With a displacement of 44.200 tons/43.500 long tons-45.354 tons/44.638 long tons (deep load) were the dimensions 266,4 (over all) x 32,1 x 9,4 metres or 874 x 105.4 x 31 feet. The turbines and 16 water tube boilers supplied via 4 shafts 180.000 ship allowing a speed of 33 knots and with a speed of 10 knots a range of 10.000 nautical miles. The crew was to number 1.297-1.326 (when used as flagship). The armour consisted of a 12,7-17,8cm/5-7” thick belt, a deck of 3,8-5,7cm/1.5-2,25”, with the barbettes, gun turrets and coning tower protected by respectively 12,7-22,9cm/5-(‘, 16,2cm/6” (sides)-27,9cm/11” (front) and 30,5cm/12”. The armament was to consist pf 4x2-40,6cm/16” guns, 14x1-15,2cm/6” guns, 4x1-7,6cm/3” anti aircraft guns (to be increased with another 4) and 8-53,3cm/21” torpedo tubes. A treaty between the United States, British Empire, Japan, France and Italy signed on 6 February 1922 as a result of the Washington Naval Conference between November 1921-February 1922 which intended to limit the total capitals ship tonnage of these five major powers.
