CV-17 Bunker Hill retirement?

"Mike Kanze" wrote:

While both ships went into the yards just as the war was ending, it is very likely that they were only patched together enough to be worth keeping in reserve as secondary mobilization assets, with little intention of ever really having to send them out again. With so many other ESSEX class ships in much better material condition at the end of WWII - and with war $$ drying up faster than a puddle in the desert - this hypothesis makes as much sense to me as any other.

My understanding is that both ships were completely repaired...at
least that's what the Bunker Hill veterans that I've talked to have
said. . As the "low milage" ships at the end of the war they were
held back for a super upgrade when needed. However, by the mid 1950's
it was clear that the Essexes were too small to operate the jets that
were coming into service. Also, the cost of upgrading the Essexes
already in service went far over budget. As a result the Navy had no
interest in spending any money on the Franklin and Bunker Hill. They
didn't want Essexes, they wanted Forrestals and even bigger ships.

I've seen navy pictures of the Franklin with the flight deck
completely removed for repairs.

Check out the picture here with this caption
Grainy but interesting shot of USS Franklin (CV-13) in drydock, New
York, 1945. The entire flight deck and supporting upper hull was
removed and rebuilt because of the extensive damage caused by two
Japanese bombs that penetrated the flight deck, exploding on the
hangar deck, igniting fuel and ordinance from the aircraft below
decks. The circular rings to the left are the two forward 5" DP gun
mount supports with the island superstructure behind them. The lower
ring would be the flight deck level. U.S. Navy, National Archives
photo.
http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/021324.jpg


Scott Peterson

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