USS Saratoga CV-3

Saratoga (CV-3), circa 1942, after her lengthy refit. Planes on deck include five Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighters, six Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers and one Grumman TBF-1 Avenger torpedo plane, 1942.

USS Saratoga (CV-3) was a Lexington-class aircraft carrier built for the United States Navy during the 1920s. Originally designed as a battlecruiser, she was converted into one of the Navy's first aircraft carriers during construction to comply with the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. The ship entered service in 1928 and was assigned to the Pacific Fleet for her entire career. Saratoga and her sister ship, Lexington, were used to develop and refine carrier tactics in a series of annual exercises before World War II. On more than one occasion these exercises included successful surprise attacks on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. She was one of three prewar US fleet aircraft carriers, along with Enterprise and Ranger, to serve throughout World War II.

Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Saratoga was the centerpiece of the unsuccessful American effort to relieve Wake Island and was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine a few weeks later. After lengthy repairs, the ship supported forces participating in the Guadalcanal Campaign and her aircraft sank the light carrier Ryūjō during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons in August 1942. She was again torpedoed the following month and returned to the Solomon Islands area after repairs were completed.

In 1943, Saratoga supported Allied forces involved in the New Georgia Campaign and invasion of Bougainville in the northern Solomon Islands and her aircraft twice attacked the Japanese base at Rabaul in November. Early in 1944, her aircraft provided air support during the Gilbert and Marshall Islands Campaign before she was transferred to the Indian Ocean for several months to support the British Eastern Fleet as it attacked targets in Java and Sumatra. After a brief refit in mid-1944, the ship became a training ship for the rest of the year.

In early 1945, Saratoga participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima as a dedicated night fighter carrier. Several days into the battle, she was badly damaged by kamikaze hits and was forced to return to the United States for repairs. While under repair, the ship, now increasingly obsolete, was permanently modified as a training carrier with some of her hangar deck converted into classrooms. Saratoga remained in this role for the rest of the war and was then used to ferry troops back to the United States after the Japanese surrender in August, as a part of Operation Magic Carpet. In mid-1946, the ship was a target for nuclear weapon tests during Operation Crossroads. She survived the first test with little damage, but was sunk by a second test. 

Saratoga (CV-3). Painting by Walter L. Greene, 1927, depicting the ship launching aircraft.

Contract design for the Lexington and the Saratoga, 1922.

Saratoga’s ship’s insignia.

Saratoga (CC-3) under construction, 30 September 1921.

Saratoga (CC-3) on 8 March 1922, after her construction had been suspended. Note the circular barbettes on blocks on her deck.

Launching of Saratoga at the New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, New Jersey, Tuesday, 7 April 1925.

A Chance Vought UO-1 piloted by LCDR Marc Mitscher makes the first landing aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3). The fore-and-aft arresting wires were engaged by a “comb” between the aircraft’s wheels. The “fiddle bridges” held the wires off the flight deck. Athwartship wires which were snagged by an arresting hook on the aircraft were in simultaneous use. The fore-and-aft wires were soon abandoned.

Saratoga, Bremerton, Washington, 1927-28.

Another view of Saratoga, Bremerton, Washington, 1927-28.

Captain Kenneth Whiting aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3) during his 1927-1929 tour as her executive officer.

Saratoga, probably in January 1928, at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Saratoga early in her career.

Saratoga (CV-3) at anchor in the late 1920s.

USS Los Angeles (ZR-3) landing on USS Saratoga (CV-3), 27 January 1928. Note lines used to walk the airship forward from the aircraft carrier’s stern.

Los Angeles (ZR-3) landing on Saratoga, 27 January 1928.

Los Angeles (ZR-3) landing on Saratoga, 27 January 1928.

Saratoga (CV-3) in the Gaillard Cut (Culebra Cut), Panama Canal, bound for the Pacific, on the morning of 7 February 1928.

Saratoga steams through the Panama Canal, 7 February 1928. She has two floatplanes on her flight deck. Note that the outer portions of platforms for her 5”/25 guns have been folded up to clear her of the lock walls.

Another view of Saratoga steams through the Panama Canal, 7 February 1928.

Saratoga and HMS Despatch in Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal, 7 February 1928.

Saratoga in Panama Canal, 7 February 1928.

Saratoga (CV-3) passes through the Panama Canal, 7 February 1928.

Vought O2U-2 Corsair aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3), circa 1928.

Lexington (CV-2), left, and Saratoga (CV-3), right, moored at Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, 22 September 1928. Note Sara had a walkway on the face of her stack—one of the few distinguishing features between these otherwise nearly identical twins.

Saratoga (CV-3) underway circa 1928. Appearance characteristics at this time included the very wide funnel and the four 8in/55 LA guns in twin mounts on the starboard side of the flight deck. Note also the light-colored awnings for the groups of three 5in/25 AA guns.

A U.S. Navy Boeing F2B-1 (A-7440) belonging to Fighting Squadron VF-1B based aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3), circa 1928. Note the unit’s “High Hat” insignia below the cockpit.

Aerial view of Saratoga (CV-3), probably in 1929, location unknown.

Saratoga (CV-3), 1929.

Charles Lindbergh in a Boeing F3B-1 (BuNo A-7739) from Bombing Squadron VB-2B aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3). Lindbergh visited the Saratoga on 8 February 1929. He was aboard for two days and while he was there he was invited to fly the new Boeing F3B-1. The VB-2B made him an honorary member of the squadron.

Charles Lindbergh in fighter from VF-1B on board Saratoga.

Charles Lindbergh with pilots from Bombing Squadron VB-2B aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3). Lindbergh visited the Saratoga on 8 February 1929. He was aboard for two days and while he was there he was invited to fly the new Boeing F3B-1. The VB-2B made him an honorary member of the squadron.

Charles Lindbergh aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3). Lindbergh visited the Saratoga on 8 February 1929. He was aboard for two days and while he was there he was invited to fly the new Boeing F3B-1. Bombing Squadron VB-2B made him an honorary member of the squadron.

Boeing F2B-1 (BuNo A-7431) of VF-1B (1-F-3), Saratoga.

A Torpedo and Bombing Squadron TWO B (VT-2B) Martin T4M-1 making an approach on Saratoga (CV-3), 1929. Note the squadron’s dragon insignia on the fuselage just aft of the lower wing.

U.S. aircraft carriers Lexington (CV-2) (top), Saratoga (CV-3) (middle), and Langley (CV-1) (bottom) moored at Bremerton, Washington, in 1929.

Another view of U.S. aircraft carriers Lexington (CV-2) (top), Saratoga (CV-3) (middle), and Langley (CV-1) (bottom) moored at Bremerton, Washington, in 1929.

Saratoga at anchor, date and place unknown.

Undated, pre-war photo of Saratoga (CV-3) off Ballast Point, Point Loma, California.

Saratoga (CV-3) (top left) moored at Bremerton, Washington.

Los Angeles (ZR-3) flies over ships of the U.S. Fleet, circa 1930. Photographed from on board the airship, with two of her engine cars in the foreground. Ships below are Patoka (AO-9), closest to the camera, and the aircraft carriers Lexington (CV-2) and Saratoga (CV-3).

Saratoga (CV-3) at anchor circa 1930, location unknown.

Saratoga (CV-3) coming into Dry Dock No. 2 of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington, on 17 November 1930.

Aircraft on Saratoga’s flight deck, preparing for launching, circa 1929-30. Planes in the foreground are Boeing F3B-1 fighters [of VB-2B squadron]. In the background are fifteen Martin T4M-1 torpedo planes, of Torpedo Squadron Two (VT-2B). This photo may have been taken in early 1929, during Fleet Problem IX. In any event, it can’t have been taken later than September 1929: the foremost T4M is sitting on the “fiddle bridge” arresting gear, which was removed from Saratoga in said month. The carrier had spent three months (June-August) at anchor at San Pedro, without any aircraft.

Saratoga (CV-3) in drydock at Hunter’s Point, San Francisco, California, circa the early 1930s. The S.S. Mexican is in the right distance. She was USS Mexican (ID # 1655) in 1917-1919.

Saratoga (CV-3) anchored, most likely, at San Diego, early 1930s.

Flight deck scene, 1930s.

A flight of 17 U.S. Marine Corps Boeing F4B-4 fighters of Marine Fighter Squadron VF-9M assigned to Saratoga (CV-3) in the early 1930s. The squadron was later redesignated VMF-111.

Vought O2U-2 “Corsair” aircraft, of Marine Corps Scouting Squadron 14 (VS-14M) fly past Saratoga while preparing to land on board, circa 1930. Note Marine Corps insignia painted under the after cockpit of the closest aircraft.

Vought O2U-2 “Corsair” aircraft, of Marine Corps Scouting Squadron 14 (VS-14M) fly past Saratoga while preparing to land on board, circa 1930.

Vought O2U-2 “Corsair” aircraft, of Marine Corps Scouting Squadron 3 (VS-3M) fly past Saratoga while preparing to land on board, circa 1930.

Saratoga (CV-3) at sea in the late 1920s or early 1930s.

Lexington (CV-2), right, and Saratoga (CV-3) steaming off Oahu, Hawaii, circa 1930. Diamond Head is visible in the background.

Saratoga (CV-3) (left) and Lexington (CV-2) make steam while at anchor in the waters off Oahu, Territory of Hawaii, circa 1930.

Great Lakes TG-2 of VT-2B, Saratoga, circa 1932.

Saratoga (CV-3) recovering her planes off Maui, Hawaii, 2 March 1932.

Saratoga (CV-3) recovering aircraft as she steams through rough seas en route to Hawaii following participation in Fleet Problem XIII in April 1932.

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington on 8 June 1932: the aircraft carriers Lexington (CV-2) and Saratoga (CV-3) at the yard. Also present is an old collier at left. The heavy cruiser Astoria (CA-34) is under construction in drydock, upper right.

Another view of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington on 8 June 1932: the aircraft carriers Lexington (CV-2) and Saratoga (CV-3) at the yard. Also present is an old collier at left. The heavy cruiser Astoria (CA-34) is under construction in drydock, upper right.

Saratoga (CV-3) dressed with flags on Navy Day, 27 October 1932.

Identifiable ships in this photo possibly at Puget Sound circa 1933 are, from left to right: U.S. Crane Ship No. 1, ex-Kearsarge (BB-5); seaplane tender Jason (AV-2); one of the Colorado-class battleships, possibly the West Virginia (BB-48), in the dry dock; and a Pennsylvania-class battleship along the pier. The aircraft carrier in the photo is Saratoga (CV-3) — note the “SARA” on the flight deck aft.

Saratoga (CV-3) and Lexington (CV-2) in front of Diamond Head, 2 February 1933 while both sister carriers were awaiting the official beginning of Fleet Problem XIV (February 6.)

Saratoga (CV-3) steams north for the Presidential Review, 31 May 1934. The “Crowing Cock” emblem can be seen on the stack stripe.

The aircraft of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3) aircraft prepare to take off during a Presidential Review by President Roosevelt, off New York City, on 31 May 1934. As President Roosevelt watched from the heavy cruiser Indianapolis (CA-35), 90 ships passed by, led by the battleship Pennsylvania (BB-38) flying the 4-star flag of Admiral Sellers. Note one of Saratoga´s two flush-deck destroyer plane guards (upper left corner).

Saratoga prepares to pass in review for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 31 May 1934.

Lexington (CV-2), left, and Saratoga (CV-3) open to the public for viewing at New York City, June 1934.

Saratoga (CV-3) landing planes on 6 June 1935.

Saratoga landing planes.

Saratoga at sea landing aircraft.

Saratoga launching aircraft.

Lexington (CV-2) (top), Langley (CV-1) (middle), Saratoga (CV-3) (bottom), a Nevada or Pennsylvania-class battleship, and two Omaha-class light cruisers at San Pedro, California, in the 1930s.

Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington. Aerial photograph taken in the mid-1930s. Alongside the pier in center are the aircraft tender (ex-collier) Jason (AV-2), laid up in 1932 and sold in 1936, and the crane ship Kearsarge. Also present are the aircraft carriers Lexington (CV-2) and Saratoga (CV-3), the latter with her distinctive funnel stripe.

Saratoga launching biplanes, circa the mid-1930s.

Saratoga launching aircraft.

Saratoga flight deck.

Saratoga launching aircraft.

View of Saratoga from rear of launched aircraft.

Saratoga moving through a fog bank.

Saratoga loaded with aircraft.

Saratoga at sea.

Saratoga at sea.

Saratoga at sea.

Saratoga.

Saratoga at anchor.

Saratoga landing aircraft.

Saratoga at anchor.

Saratoga landing aircraft.

Saratoga (CV-3) underway circa 1936, location unknown.

Ships of the United States Fleet, including the U.S. Navy’s entire carrier fleet consisting of Langley (CV-1) (center), Lexington (CV-2) (left), Saratoga (CV-3) (right), and Ranger (CV-4) (center aft), pictured at anchor off Panama, in 1936.

King Neptune and his Party hold court aboard CV-3 Saratoga on May 20, 1936. This visit of His Majesty Neptunus Rex saw one of the largest single group of pollywogs to be initiated to date, including the Vice Admiral Henry Varnum Butler, who had yet to cross the equator in 45 years of Naval service.

Pollywogs undergoing initiation on the flight deck of Saratoga. Medical personnel were reportedly sent before King Neptune first, so they could staff the ship’s hospital for the rest of the crew. Saratoga’s Captain, William ‘Bull’ Halsey, saw to it that one of Saratoga’s Pollywog ensigns who had aided a ‘mutiny’ of pollywogs received ‘a helluva beating’ during his initiation but kept his record clear of charges. That officer later earned two Silver Stars during World War II and commanded nine submarine patrols against the Japanese.

U.S. Navy ships passing under the Golden Gate Bridge, 12 November 1936, while under construction. The carriers (from front to rear) are: Lexington (CV-2), Ranger (CV-4), and the Saratoga (CV-3).

Saratoga (CV-3) and three battleships at anchor, San Francisco Bay, most likely on the occasion of the inauguration of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, November 1936.

Grumman J2F-1 Duck, BuNo 0174, number 4 plane of the Saratoga (CV-3) Utility Unit, circa 1936–1940.

Saratoga.

Left to right: Saratoga (CV-3), Lexington (CV-2) and Ranger (CV-4) off Honolulu, with Diamond Head in the background. This picture was probably taken in April 1938, during Fleet Problem XIX.

Left to right: Ranger (CV-4), Lexington (CV-2), and Saratoga (CV-3), April 1938.

Saratoga (CV-3), April 1938.

Ranger (CV-4) (bottom), Lexington (CV-2) (middle), and Saratoga (CV-3) (top) pictured at anchor off Honolulu, Hawaii, on 8 April 1938.

Ranger (CV-4), foreground; Lexington (CV-2), middle distance; and Saratoga (CV-3), background, lie at anchor off Honolulu, Hawaii, 8 April 1938 during Fleet Problem XIX.

Lexington (CV-2), foreground; and Saratoga (CV-3), background, lie at anchor off Honolulu, Hawaii, 8 April 1938 during Fleet Problem XIX.

Vought SB2U-1 Vindicator dive bomber assigned to Bombing Squadron 3 (VB-3) aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3) in 1938. VB-3 was the first squadron to be equipped with the SB2U in 1937.

Douglas TBD-1 Devastators of torpedo squadron VT-3 lined-up prior to launch from the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3), circa 1938-1940. Established as VT-2/2B flying Curtiss SC seaplanes, the squadron was assigned to the Saratoga in 1928, and was destined to spend its entire prewar career flying from that ship. Redesignated VT-3 in 1937, the squadron received its first TBD-1s that same year. The squadron’s only combat missions during the Second World War flying Devastators came at the Battle of Midway during June 1942. Launched from the deck of Yorktown (CV-5), the squadron attacked the Japanese carrier fleet on the morning of June 4th. Of the 24 pilots and crewmen who participated in the mission, only three survived.

Saratoga launching aircraft.

Saratoga at sea with plane guard following.

Captain Albert C. Read, USN, Commanding Officer, Saratoga, Inspects the ship’s Marines, probably during change of command ceremonies at the end of his tour as her Commanding Officer, circa 15 March 1940.

On 19 March 1940 U.S. Navy Lt. John Smith “Jimmy” Thach tipped this Brewster F2A-1 Buffalo (BuNo 1393) onto its nose on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3) Ensign Edward Butch O’Hare also flew this aircraft several times during the summer and fall of 1940.

Sampson (DD-394) Steaming near the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3), circa 1940. Note the safety net at the side of Saratoga’s flight deck, and the Douglas TBD-1 Devastator torpedo planes parked nearby.

Saratoga (CV-3). Due to the Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters parked on the bow, the photo was most probably taken in 1941.

Saratoga (CV-3) launches Douglas TBD-1 Devastator aircraft from Torpedo Squadron VT-3, circa summer 1941, as seen from the rear cockpit of a plane that has just taken off.

View of the commencement of a launch of the Saratoga Air Group on board the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3), circa in the Autumn of 1941. The plane nearest to the camera is a Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat of Fighting Squadron 3 (3-F-15 of VF-3), followed by Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless of Bombing Squadron 3 (VB-3). Douglas TBD-1 Devastators of Torpedo Squadron 3 (VT-3) are spotted on the aft part of the flight deck (wings folded), followed by SBD-3s, probably of Scouting Squadron 3 (VS-3). Note the overall light gray paint schemes with white lettering and numbering that was carried aboard naval aircraft for a short time during 1941.

Vertical aerial photograph of Ford Island, taken 22 October 1941. The aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3) is moored in the lower right center, on Ford Island’s northwestern side. Three battleships and an oiler are moored along Battleship Row, on the island’s southeastern side. Another battleship is alongside 1010 dock, in the top center. The battleships appear to be as two each of the Tennessee and Colorado-classes. In the extreme top right corner is the Navy Yard’s Drydock Number Two, under construction, and the floating drydock YFD-2. Approximately 22 Consolidated PBY patrol planes are parked at the Naval Air Station’s seaplane base, on the upper right point of Ford Island.

Grumman F4F-3 Wildcats of fighter squadron VF-3 on the U.S. aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3) in October 1941. The plane on the aircraft elevator is 3-F-9 (BuNo 3982), piloted by Ensign Gayle Hermann. This plane was in service with VF-6 in December 1941 and hit by “friendly” fire near Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the night of 7 December 1941 while trying to land after a combat air patrol. It was badly damaged but the pilot could land the plane and luckily was uninjured.

A U.S. Navy Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat fighter of Fighting Squadron VF-3 prepares to take off from the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3), circa October 1941. The plane’s pilot is probably Lt. John S. Thach, VF-3 Commanding Officer.

Douglas TBD-1 Devastator of torpedo squadron VT-3 prepares to land aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3) in October 1941.

Yorktown (CV-5) returns to Pearl Harbor, 6 February 1942, after the Marshalls-Gilberts Raids. This view shows the Measure 12, Graded System, camouflage that Yorktown received in late 1941. Also seen is the external degaussing cable that was installed on her hull just below the deck edge. The hull number (“5”) has not yet been painted on her side, just aft of the anchor. All those features were observed when the ship was examined, at a depth of some three miles, on 20 May 1998, though her bow hull structure was heavily distorted. The superstructure of Saratoga (CV-3), then undergoing repairs for torpedo damage, is visible in the right center background.

Saratoga (CV-3) arrives at Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, from the U.S. West Coast, on 6 June 1942. She departed the following day to join Enterprise (CV-6) and Hornet (CV-8) near Midway, bringing replacement aircraft for those two ships, whose air groups had been depleted during the Battle of Midway.

Saratoga (CV-3) alongside Naval Air Station, Ford Island, in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, circa June or July 1942.

Saratoga (CV-3), at sea to the east of Guadalcanal Island, where she deployed her aircraft during the Battle of Savo Island, August 1942.

A damaged U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avenger assigned to Torpedo Squadron VT-8 makes a landing on board the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) without the benefit of a tailhook while the carrier operates off the Solomons. Note that the arrestor wire has caught the main undercarriage. The TBF only suffered some bent propeller blades. August 1942.

Saratoga (CV-3) probably shortly before the invasion if Guadalcanal in August 1942. A New Orleans-class heavy cruiser is steaming in the right background. The photo was probably taken from the carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6).

Wasp (CV-7) (foreground), Saratoga (CV-3), and Enterprise (CV-6) (background) operating in the Pacific south of Guadalcanal on 12 August 1942.

Saratoga (CV-3) (foreground) and Enterprise (CV-6) are underway with aircraft spotted for launch, circa August 1942.

Landing operations continue on the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3), at left, in the late afternoon of 21 August 1942, while ships of the task force which escorted troops into the Solomons patrol off Guadalcanal. This was three days before the Battle of the Eastern Solomons. Atlanta (CL-51) is at right, with two heavy cruisers and some destroyers in the distance.

USS Saratoga (CV-3), September 1942.

USS Saratoga (CV-3), date and location unknown.

Saratoga (CV-3) (left) and HMS Victorious (R38) (right) at anchor at Noumea, New Caledonia, in 1943. Victorious operated with the Saratoga in the south-west Pacific from May to September 1943. During this time, she was code named (not renamed) as Robin, for signals purposes, derived from the character “Robin Hood”.

John Howard Cassady, Saratoga’s commanding officer after August 1943.

Flight deck crews aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3) spot Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers of bombing squadron VB-12, October 1943.

On board Saratoga (CV-3) at dawn as ship moves in for strike against Rabaul. November 1943.

View up from the aircraft elevator to the bridge aboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3). Note the Douglas SBD Dauntless on the right. November 1943.

U.S. Navy aircraft from Carrier Air Group 12 (CVG-12) aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3) warming up for a strike during the Gilbert Islands campaign. Grumman F6F-3 Hellcats are in the foreground, followed by Grumman TBF-1 Avenger´s and Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless. November 1943.

A plane parker signaling to the pilot of a Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat of fighter squadron VF-12, Carrier Air Group 12 (CVG-12), aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3) in November 1943.

A U.S. Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat flown by Commander Joseph C. Clifton prepares to launch from the carrier Saratoga (CV-3) bound for Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, in late November 1943. Note that the Hellcats are in various states of changes of the national insignia, which had been ordered three months before. However, in contrast to all other fleet carriers, Saratoga had been active in the Solomons for the most part of 1943 and marking changes were only applied in the field.

Ens. Charles W. Miller, Ltjg. Henry H. Dearing and Ltjg. Bus Alber (L-R) walking toward their planes on board Saratoga (CV-3) for Rabaul Raid. F6F on right. 5 November 1943.

Aircraft from Carrier Air Group 12 (CVG-12) landing aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3). A Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless is in the foreground, Grumman F6F-3 Hellcats are landing. November 1943.

Crewmen aboard Saratoga lift AOM Kenneth Bratton, USNR, out of a TBF Avenger’s rear turret after a raid on Rabaul on 5 November 1943. The aircraft and a friendly F6F Hellcat successfully fought off eight attacking Zeroes, downing three. Bratton and pilot Commander Henry Caldwell survived. Photographer’s Mate Paul Barnett was killed in action.

Aircrewmen Alva Parker (ARM1), wounded during a raid on Rabaul, New Britain, and who suffered shrapnel wounds in neck and shoulders, is helped from his Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber on board the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3) on 5 November 1943.

Aircrewman, wounded during raid on Rabaul, on board the Saratoga (CV-3). Alva Parker (ARM1) who suffered shrapnel wounds in neck and shoulders, rests in litter. 5 November 1943.

Jubilant over the success of the task force raid on Rabaul, Cdr. Joseph C. Clifton passes out cigars aboard Saratoga (CV-3). 5 November 1943.

Saratoga (CV-3) in 1943/44. The photo was taken from one of her planes of Carrier Air Group 12 (CVG-12), of which many aircraft are visible on deck, Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers (aft), Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters (mostly forward), and Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers.

View of the commencement of a launch of Carrier Air Group 12 (CVG-12) on board the carrier Saratoga (CV-3), 1943-1944. The planes nearest to the camera are Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighters of VF-12.

Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighters on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3), c. 1943/1944.

Sailors who had heads clipped in bizarre designs during Neptune party aboard the Saratoga (CV-3). February 1944.

Royal Navy Rear Admiral Clement Moody visits the U.S. aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3), 27 March 1944.

Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, RN, addresses personnel aboard the Saratoga (CV-3) at Trincomalee, Ceylon. Admiral Mountbatten (center) on flight deck.

The New Zealand Crown Colony class cruiser HMNZS Gambia (48) with her crew manning the rails as the U.S. aircraft carrier Saratoga was leaving the Indian Ocean on 18 May 1944. The crew of the Saratoga is rendering honors in the foreground.

The crew of the French battleship Richelieu and the U.S. aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3) manning the rails as the Saratoga ended operations with the Royal Navy’s Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean, 18 May 1944.

The destroyers of the British Eastern Fleet with their crews manning the rails as the U.S. aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3) was leaving the Indian Ocean on 18 May 1944. The crew of the Saratoga is rendering honors in the foreground.

Saratoga (CV-3) underway with Grumman TBF Avengers being launched. The photo was probably taken in late 1943 or early 1944, before Saratoga received her dazzle pattern camouflage in July 1944.

Saratoga (CV-3) on 8 February 1944. The photo was taken from one of her planes of Carrier Air Group 12 (CVG-12), of which many aircraft are visible on deck, mainly Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers and Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters.

Saratoga (CV-3) at the Ocean Pier, Hobart, Tasmania (Australia), in March 1944.

Saratoga (CV-3) underway from the Indian Ocean to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 30 May 1944.

Saratoga in June 1944. She carries numerous 40mm quad gun mounts in individual sponsons along the sides, but she still retains the outdated CXAM-1 radar antenna.

U.S. Navy Camouflage Measure 32, Design 11A: Drawing prepared by the Bureau of Ships for a camouflage scheme intended for the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3). This plan, approved by Captain Logan McKee, USN, is dated 25 January 1944. It shows the ship’s starboard and port sides. Saratoga was painted in this camouflage design during her Summer 1944 overhaul. The colors were light gray (white areas), ocean gray (shaded areas) and dull black (black areas).

USS Saratoga (CV-3) emerged from a major refit and overhaul during the summer of 1944 with a distinctive Measure 32/11A camouflage. She had her radar suite updated with an SK search radar antenna mounted on her foremast and an SM fighter direction radar antenna replacing the CXAM-1 antenna on her funnel. Additionally, there were quad 40 mm gun sponsons suspended under the flight deck around the ship. Photo taken off the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Washington, 7 September 1944.

Another view of the Sara in the September 1944.

Saratoga (CV-3) in Puget Sound, Washington, making 12 knots, 7 September 1944. Saratoga wears her single camouflage measure 32 design 11A.

Saratoga (CV-3) underway on 12 January 1945. Saratoga was developing and training night fighter tactics with assigned Carrier Air Group (Night) 53 (CVG(N)-53).

Fighting fire against terrific heat and wind on USS Saratoga (CV-3), 21 February 1945.

The men of the Saratoga fighting the fires caused by the kamikaze attacks that ended her war career. Sent back to the West Coast for repairs, the war ended before she could rejoin the fleet.

Saratoga (CV-3) burning after five “Kamikaze” suicide planes hit the forward flight deck off Chi-chi Jima, shortly after 17:00h, 21 February 1945. Another attack at 19:00h scored an additional bomb hit. 123 of her crew were dead or missing as a result of the attacks. By 20:15h, the fires were under control, and the carrier was able to recover aircraft, but she was ordered to Eniwetok and then to the U.S. West Coast for repairs, arriving at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington, on 16 March. On 22 May, Saratoga departed Puget Sound fully repaired, and she resumed training pilots at Pearl Harbor on 3 June.

Aftermath of kamikaze attack on 21 February 1945.

Captain Frank Akers, U.S. Navy, commander of the Saratoga (CV-3) , 27 April 1945.

Saratoga (CV-3) running full power trials in Puget Sound, Washington, following battle damage repairs, 15 May 1945.

Saratoga (CV-3) moored at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, circa June 1945.

Four U.S. Navy aircraft carriers representing four separate classes (Lexington, Yorktown, Essex, Independence) docked at the Naval Air Station, Alameda, California, circa mid-September 1945. The ships are (from front to back): Saratoga (CV-3); Enterprise (CV-6); Hornet (CV-12) and San Jacinto (CVL-30). Note the Consolidated PBY Catalina amphibians parked at the far left.

Saratoga (CV-3) during a “Magic Carpet” voyage to bring U.S. servicemen back to the U.S. from the Pacific in late 1945.

Saratoga (CV-3) during her last run as a troop transport in operation “Magic Carpet”. By the end of her “Magic Carpet” service, Saratoga had brought home a total of 29,204 Pacific war veterans, more than any other individual ship.

Another view of Saratoga (CV-3) during her role as a troop transport in operation “Magic Carpet”.

Another view of Saratoga (CV-3) during her role as a troop transport in operation “Magic Carpet”.

U.S. Navy hospital ship Benevolence (AH-13) moored amid the “Crossroads” target fleet at Bikini Atoll, 13 July 1946. The ship at far left is Saratoga (CV-3). The closest ship in right background is either Pensacola (CA-24) or Salt Lake City (CA-25).

“Baker” atomic bomb test in Bikini Atoll lagoon on 25 July 1946. Saratoga is in the center.

Saratoga (CV-3) sinking at Bikini Lagoon after bomb damage sustained during the “Baker” atomic test of Operation Crossroads, at 15:40h, 25 July 1946. The battleship New York (BB-34) is visible on the right, two Sims-class destroyers on the left.

Saratoga (CV-3) sinking after Operation Crossroads (Bikini Atoll).

Diver’s sketch of aircraft carrier Saratoga, in 180 feet of water, on the bottom of Bikini Atoll lagoon. Sunk by the Baker shot of Operation Crossroads, 25 July 1946.

Stabilizer unit designed by Hannibal C. Ford Instruments. The stabilizer corrected for roll and pitch on the gun direction unit. This model was presented to the Saratoga in 1927.

A view of the 5”/25 anti-aircraft guns port forward on the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3), circa 1927.

Saratoga’s funnel.

Saratoga during anti-aircraft gunnery practice, circa 1932.