The People's Republic-class carrier APNS Tempest (CV-34) at sea in 1955.
The People's Republic-class was a class of fleet aircraft carriers of the Union of American People's Republics, built before, during and after the Second World War. The People's Republic-class formed the backbone of the American People's Navy throughout World War II and into the early Cold War. Two ships of the class were sold to the Argentine Navy during the 1950s, where they served until both of them were sunk in the Falklands War.
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APNS Dixieland (CVS-14) with her rails manned, following her conversion to an anti-submarine warfare support aircraft carrier.
The design of the People's Republic-class has been criticized as being fragile and lacking in offensive power relative to contemporary carrier designs such as the Implacable- and Shōkaku-classes; despite this, the People's Republic-class design achieved significant success in the Pacific Campaign, mostly due to its low cost, quick build time and ease of construction and repair.
Specifications[]
Short Hull Variant[]
A pair of A-4 Skyhawks and an F-8 Crusader on the deck of APNS Grand River (CV-19) with an SH-3/61 maritime helicopter taking off.
- Type: Aircraft Carrier
- Service Period: 1937-1983
- Characteristics:
- Length: 870 feet (265.18 meters)
- Beam (Overall): 147.5 feet (44.96 meters)
- Beam (Waterline): 93 feet (28.35 meters)
- Draft (Standard): 23 feet (7.01 meters)
- Draft (Deep): 27.5 feet (8.38 meters)
- Displacement: 30,800 tons (Standard); 36,380 tons (Full Load)
- Crew: 3200 (2,170 ship crew, 870 flight crew, 160 flag staff)
- Propulsion: Westinghouse geared turbines connected to 4 shafts; 8 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 150,000 shp
- Range: 20,000 nautical miles (37,040 kilometers) at 15 knots (27.78 km/h)
- Speed: 32.7 knots (60.56 km/h)
- Sensor Suite:
- 1 × SK air-search radar
- 1 × SC air-search radar
- 2 × SG surface-search radar
- 1 × SM fighter-direction radar (later units)
- 2 × Mk 4 fire-control radar (earlier units)
- 2 × Mk 12 fire-control radar (later units)
- 2 × Mk 22 height-finding radar (later units)
- 10–17 × Mk 51 AA directors
- Armament:
- 12 × 5"/38-caliber Mk.12 dual purpose naval guns (4×2, 4x1)
- 72 × Bofors 40mm/56-caliber Mk.1/2/M1 anti-aircraft guns (18×4)
- 76 × Oerlikon 20mm/70-caliber Mk.2/3/4 anti-aircraft cannons
- Aircraft Carried: 100 (World War II); 65 (1960s-1980s)
Long Hull Variant[]
- Type: Aircraft Carrier
- Service Period: 1937-1983
- Characteristics:
- Length: 888 feet (270.66 meters)
- Beam (Overall): 147.5 feet (44.96 meters)
- Beam (Waterline): 93 feet (28.35 meters)
- Draft (Standard): 23 feet (7.01 meters)
- Draft (Deep): 27.5 feet (8.38 meters)
- Displacement: 30,800 tons (Standard); 36,380 tons (Full Load)
- Crew: 3200 (2,170 ship crew, 870 flight crew, 160 flag staff)
- Propulsion: Westinghouse geared turbines connected to 4 shafts; 8 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 150,000 shp
- Range: 20,000 nautical miles (37,040 kilometers) at 15 knots (27.78 km/h)
- Speed: 32.7 knots (60.56 km/h)
- Sensor Suite:
- 1 × SK air-search radar
- 1 × SC air-search radar
- 2 × SG surface-search radar
- 1 × SM fighter-direction radar (later units)
- 2 × Mk 4 fire-control radar (earlier units)
- 2 × Mk 12 fire-control radar (later units)
- 2 × Mk 22 height-finding radar (later units)
- 10–17 × Mk 51 AA directors
- Armament:
- 12 × 5"/38-caliber Mk.12 dual purpose naval guns (4×2, 4x1)
- 72 × Bofors 40mm/56-caliber Mk.1/2/M1 anti-aircraft guns (18×4)
- 76 × Oerlikon 20mm/70-caliber Mk.2/3/4 anti-aircraft cannons
- Aircraft Carried: 100 (World War II); 65 (1960s-1980s)
Ships in class[]
| Ship Name | Hull No. | Commission– Decommission |
Fate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APNS New England | CV-09 | April 24, 1942 - March 8, 1970 | ||
| APNS Pacifica | CV-10 | August 7, 1942 - March 5, 1971 | ||
| APNS Rocky Mountain | CV-11 | December 8, 1942 - November 21, 1974 | ||
| APNS Appalachia | CV-12 | March 23, 1943 - March 4, 1971 | ||
| APNS Transpacifica | CV-13 | May 25, 1943 - May 10, 1965 | ||
| APNS Dixieland | CV-14 | August 31, 1943 - May 10, 1974 | ||
| APNS Liberty | CV-15 | February 1, 1944 - October 22, 1969 | ||
| APNS Karl Marx | CV-16 | June 11, 1942 - July 16, 1992 | ||
| APNS Great Lakes | CV-17 | September 15, 1942 - July 10, 1967 | ||
| APNS Heartland | CV-18 | March 18, 1943 - March 9, 1973 | ||
| APNS Grand River | CV-19 | August 8, 1943 - October 7, 1976 | ||
| APNS Steve Nelson | CV-20 | November 29, 1943 - September 23, 1970 | Sunk in the Falklands War | Sold to Argentina as ARA Veinticinco de Mayo (V-2) |
| APNS Boxer | CV-21 | August 8, 1944 - August 9, 1970 | ||
| APNS Bunker Hill | CV-31 | March 20, 1944 - March 9, 1972 | ||
| APNS Crown Point | CV-32 | August 3, 1945 - January 21, 1960 | ||
| APNS Hornet | CV-33 | June 24, 1945 - October 22, 1970 | ||
| APNS Oriskany | CV-34 | January 17, 1950 - June 8, 1977 | ||
| APNS Reprisal | CV-35 | September 25, 1950 - February 14, 1978 | ||
| APNS Antietam | CV-36 | May 22, 1944 - January 14, 1964 | ||
| APNS Valley Forge | CV-37 | March 12, 1945 - October 8, 1970 | ||
| APNS Harry Haywood | CV-38 | January 8, 1944 - April 6, 1972 | ||
| APNS Lake Champlain | CV-39 | September 25, 1944 - January 8, 1967 | Sunk in the Falklands War | Sold to Argentina as ARA Independencia (V-1) |
| APNS Tarawa | CV-40 | April 1, 1945 - January 19, 1961 | ||
| APNS September the Ninth | CV-45 | February 26, 1946 - September 24, 1970 | ||
| APNS Iwo Jima | CV-46 | April 5, 1950 - August 25, 1977 | ||
| APNS Philippine Sea | CV-47 | September 2, 1945 - September 5, 1959 |