ESSEX CLASS WOOD REPLACEMENT DECKS

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Here is a table of the flight decks and the ships they can be used for:

SHORT HULL TYPE SHIPS	#509	#510	#511	#513	#519** SCB-27C	#520** SCB-27A	#521** SCB-125	#531
ESSEX	12/42-4/44	4/44-1950				1950-1955	1956-1969
YORKTOWN		9/44-1951	4/43-9/44			1951-1955	1955-1970
INTREPID		6/44-1951	8/43-6/44		1954-1956		1957-1974
HORNET			1/43-9/45	9/45-1951		1951-1955	1956-1970
FRANKLIN			1/44-1/45	1/45-1964
LEXINGTON		12/43-1952	3/43-12/43				1955-1991
BUNKER HILL			5/43-1/45	1/45-1966
WASP			1/43-6/45	6/45-1952			1955-1972
BENNINGTON		8/44-1950
BON HOMME RICHARD				11/44-1948			1955-1971	1948-1952

LONG HULL TYPE SHIPS	#514	#515	#520** SCB-27A	#531	#519** SCB27C	#521** SCB-125
TICONDEROGA	1944-1945	1945-1947			1954-1955	1957-1973
Randolph		1944-1948	1953-1955			1956-1969
Hancock	1944-1945	1945-1947			1954-1955	1956-1976
BENNINGTON		1944-1946	1952-1954			1955-1970
Boxer		1945-1948		1948-1959		1959-1969
Leyte		1946-1949		1949-1959		1959-1969
Kearsarge		1946-1949	1952-1956			1956-1970
ORISKANY			1950-1957			1959-1976
Antietam		1945-1948		1948-1952
Princeton		1945-1949		1949-1959		1959-1970
Shangri-La		1944-1947		1947-1951		1952-1971
Lake Champlain		1945-1947	1952-1966
Tarawa		1945-1949		1949-1960
Valley Forge		1945-1948		1948-1961		1961-1970
Philippine Sea		1946-1949		1949-1958

** PLANNED FUTURE WOOD DECKS COMBINED WITH RESIN CONVERSION SETS

350-520 SCB-27A Straight Deck Conversion set required

350-159 SCB-27C Straight Deck Conversion set required

350-521 Unmodified CVS/LPH Conversion set required

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USS ESSEX CV-9

This deck is only for the Essex in the first six months of her career. The Essex was completed without a catapult, and as such the deck provided in the kit does not cover this fifteen month period

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Recent evidence has been discovered in the archives that shows the Essex went into combat with a single H-2 Catapult mounted on the starboard side of the flight deck. This deck represents that development. She was the only ship to have this deck configuration, as far as anybody knows at this time - what else might be found in the archives?

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USS YORKTOWN CV-10

The Yorktown deck represents a large number of the class which were completed with one deck catapult (H4) to Stbd and had a second catapult (H4B) fitted during upgrades to Port

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USS INTREPID CV-11

The Intrepid was completed with one H4A deck catapult to Stbd and this configuration was used on most of the Essex class when commissioned

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USS FRANKLIN CV-13

The Franklin deck represents the later deck arrangement of 1945 and beyond. The flight deck has the single H4A catapult to stbd and the H4B catapult to port and the cut-outs for the 40mm tubs have been decked over as the guns were moved to the gallery level. This configuration was used by four ships.

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USS TICONDEROGA CV-14

The Ticonderoga deck represents the first two "Long Hull" ships to commission, the Ticonderoga and the Hancock. The unique feature of these ships was the large deck cut-out over the hangar sponson designed to give a gun director an overhead view. Following the shakedown cruise, it was decided the director was not needed as the ships were beginning to get top-heavy. The directors were never installed in Hawaii, but the cut-out remained until each ship returned to the US for battle repairs. Instructions are included to indicate which alternate parts need to be used for this version of the ship.