The USS Yorktown (CV.5) was the lead-ship of a new class of aircraftcarrier authorized out of President Roosevelt's Public Works Administration, the Federal unemployment relief agency. She and her sister Enterprise (CV.6) were authorized in 1933, and were followed by the Hornet (CV.8) five years later. The design was a development of that of the Ranger, with an 'open' hangar rather than the 'closed' type of the Lexington and Saratoga, to allow up to 80 aircraft to be carried. This arrangement proved highly successful, and formed the basis for the even more successful 'Essex' class.
The ship was commissioned in September 1937, and was hurriedly the Yorktown (CV.5) and her sisters were prototypes for the successful 'Essex' class. Much smaller than the 'Lexingtons', they could actually carry more aircraft. Under Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher she was sent to the South West Pacific in the spring of 1942 and took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea. Her Air Group 5, comprising 20 Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters, 38 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bombers and 13 Douglas TBD Devastator torpedobombers, played a major role in the battle, sinking the light carrier Shoho in a brilliant attack lasting only 10 minutes.
On the next day, 8 May, her dive-bombers inflicted damage on the carrier Zuikaku, but in return a force of Nakajima B5N 'Kate' torpedo-bombers and Aichi D3A 'Val' dive-bombers penetrated a dense screen of fighters and gunfire to score a devastating hit on the flight deck. The bomb went through three decks before exploding, and numerous fires were started. The damage control parties brought the fires under control, and the ship was able to return to Pearl Harbor for repairs. Working around the clock, the repair teams were able to get Yorktown back in action in only four days, just in time for the Battle of Midway in June 1942. At a crucial point in the battle Yorktown's dive-bombers took part in the attack on the Japanese carriers, and her aircraft were the only ones able to mount a search for the surviving Japanese carrier Hiryu. Even after the Yorktown was hit by three 250-kg (551-Ib) bombs she was able to operate her aircraft, and it was not until she was hit by two torpedoes that she was fully out of action. The Yorktown might have survived even this heavy damage, for by first light on 6 June salvage parties had put out the fires and had started to pump out flooded compartments. But the submarine l-168 put two more torpedoes into her, and early next morning she capsized and sank.
Specification USS Yorktown (CV.8)
Displacement: 19,800 tons standard, 27,500 tons full load
Dimensions: length 246.7 m (809 ft 6 in) overall; beam 25,3m (83ft 0 in); draught 8.53 m (28 ft)
Machinery: 4-shaft geared steam turbines delivering 89520 kW (120,000 shp)
Speed: 33 knots
Armour: belt 102 mm (4 in); main deck 76 mm (3 in); lower deck 25-76 mm (1-3 in)
Armament: (1942) eight 127-mm (0.5-in) AA, four quadruple 27.94-mm (1,1-in) AA and 16 12.7-mm (0.5-in) machine-guns
Aircraft: (1942) 20 fighters, 38 -divebombers and 13 torpedo-bombers
Complement: 2,919 officers and enlisted men