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US Navy
America-Art-Prints  US Navy |
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US Naval battleships, aircraft carriers and cruisers from WW2, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf in fine art naval prints. |
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Dawn Enterprise by Anthony Saunders The first light of dawn silhouettes the massive outline of the Yorktown class carrier USS Enterprise, in mid April 1944 she was partnered by the new Essex Class carrier USS Lexington. |
Hook Down and Homeward Bound by Stan Stokes. The Chance-Vought F4U Corsair was arguably the finest naval aviation fighter of its era. Work on this design dates to 1938 and was headed-up by Voughts Chief Engineer, Rex Biesel. The initial prototype was powered by an 1800-HP Pratt & Whitney double Wasp radial engine. This was the third Vought aircraft to carry the Corsair name. The graceful and highly recognizable gull-wing design of the F4U permitted the aircraft to utilize a 13-foot, three-blade, Hamilton Standard propeller, while not having to lengthen the landing gear. Because of the rigors of carrier landings, this was a very important design consideration. Folding wings were also required for carrier operations. The F4U was thirty feet long, had a wingspan of 41 feet and an empty weight of approximately 7,500 pounds. Another interesting feature was the way the F4Us gear rotated 90 degrees, so it would lay flush within the wing when in the up position. In 1939 the Navy approved the design, and production commenced. The Corsair utilized a new spot welding process on its all aluminum fuselage, giving the aircraft very low drag. To reduce weight, fabric-covered outer wing sections and control surfaces were fitted. In May of 1940 the F4U made its maiden flight. Although a number of small bugs were discovered during early flight tests, the Corsair had exceptional performance characteristics. In October of 1940 the prototype F4U was clocked at 405-MPH in a speed test. The initial production Corsairs received an upgraded 2,000-HP radial giving the bird a top speed of about 425-MPH. The production models also differed from the prototype in having six, wing-mounted, 0.5 caliber machine guns. Another change was a shift of the cockpit about three feet further back in the fuselage. This latter change unfortunately made naval aviators wary of carrier landings with the F4U, due to its limited forward visibility during landings. Other concerns were expressed regarding a severe port wing drop at landing speeds and a tendency of the aircraft to bounce off a carrier deck. As a result, the F4U was initially limited to land-based USMC squadrons. Vought addressed several of these problems, and the Royal Navy deserves credit for perfecting an appropriate landing strategy for the F4U. They found that if the carrier pilot landed the F4U while making a sweeping left turn with the port wing down, that sufficient visibility was available to make a safe landing. With a kill ratio of 11-to-1 in WW II combat, the F4U proved superior in the air to almost every opposing aircraft it encountered. More than 12,000 F4Us were built and fortunately a few dozen remain in flyable condition to this date. |
USS Yorktown at the Battle of Midway by Anthony Saunders USS Yorktown seen accompanied by her destroyers including USS Hammann shown under attack by Japanese Torpedo Bombers (Kates) during the battle of Midway. It was in this action that USS Yorktown was lost. |
Battle of the Copeland Islands by David Pentland. USCS Ranger captained by John Paul Jones attacks and defeats HMS Drake off the Copeland Islands at the mouth of Belfast Lough. This was the first battle of the newly formed American Continental Navy. |
The Mighty Intrepid by Anthony Saunders USS Intrepid was laid down in 1941 and was one of a class of 24 ships of the Essex class. This was the largest fleet of aircraft carriers ever constructed and proved the industrial might of the United States beyond doubt. Carrying 90 aircraft each, they formed the main air strength and striking power of the US Pacific Fleet against the Japanese. The Intrepid saw her first action in January 1944 supporting operations at Kwajalein. While operating in raids on Truk in February 1944 Intrepid was hit by a torpedo which damaged her steering gear, requiring repairs which kept her from the war zone until June. She then took part in operations off the Palaus, the Philippines, Okinawa and Formosa. She was struck twice by kamikazes in late 1944. Returning to action in March 1945, she participated in strikes against the Japanese home islands and Okinawa, suffering another kamikaze hit in April of 1945 - she survived the most hits of any other US carrier in the war. Here the Intrepid is seen in October 1944 whilst with TG38.2 flanked by the cruiser USS Vincennes and the destroyer USS The Sullivans. |
Christmas in New York by Stan Stokes. Depicts the return of the USS Arizona to Brooklyn in 1916, where it was commissioned in May of that year. The Arizona would be sunk twenty-five years later during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This painting is a tribute to the hundreds of USN officers and seamen still entombed on the ship. |
USS Maddox by Randall Wilson. USS Maddox engaging North Vietnamese torpedo boats with 5-in gunfire, August 2nd, 1964, in the Gulf of Tonkin. |
Dash for Freedom by Stan Stokes. The USS Nevada, the only capital ship to get underway during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor is the subject of this dramatic painting. The burning hull of The USS Arizona is in the background as the Nevada, under the command of L Cdr. Francis Thomas makes its dash for the channel. Fearing that the Nevada would be sunk in the channel, the decision was made to beach the ship near Hospital Point. |
USS Kitty Hawk by Ivan Berryman. USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) refuels an Adams class Destroyer during a dusk operation off the Vietnam coast as a pair of E8 Crusaders are readied for launch on the forward catapults. |
Remember Pearl Harbor! by Robert Taylor December 7, 1941. Japanese Aichi dive-bombers make a final attempt to destroy the USS Nevada as she lay beached at Hospital Point. Behind her the destroyer USS Shaw is on fire, moments later she will explode. In the docks beyond, the battleship Pennsylvania, the cruiser Helena and the flagship Argonne can all be seen in the swirling palls of dense smoke. |
USS Ranger by Ivan Berryman. Two F14 Tomcats of VF-1 pass in close formation over the stern of the veteran USS Ranger (CV-61) |
Guardian of the Fleet by Stan Stokes. The USS Kidd, a Fletcher Class destroyer, takes off in rough seas after an unwanted intruder while the USS San Francisco cruises off its port side. |
Last Voyage of the Yamato by Stan Stokes. The 74,000 ton Yamato and the Musashi were the two largest battleships ever built, and typified the Imperial Japanese Navys attitude that their ships should be superior to anything the United States had. As a comparison the German Battleship Deutschland displaced a mere 15,500 tons. Each of these ships carried nine 18.1 inch guns, the most powerful armament available on any ship at that point in time. The Yamato participated in the attack on Midway, serving as Admiral Yamamotos flag ship, and many of the other significant sea battles in the Pacific. By the time the Allies were preparing to invade Okinawa, the Japanese had been forced to utilize Kikusui tactics which would involve mass suicide attacks and individual suicide missions. The army had made numerous sacrifices, and senior Japanese naval officers realized that the Yamato would need to be sacrificed in the defense of Okinawa, as a matter of pride. The Yamatos 350-mile trip to Okinawa without any meaningful air cover would be a suicide mission, and the ship and its escort vessels were equipped with only enough fuel for a one-way trip. On April 6, 1945 the huge vessel departed and was immediately sighted by two American submarines, the USS Threadfin and the USS Hackleback. The information was passed on to the USN task force, and on April 7 an F6F from the USS Essex spotted the Yamato and relayed its position back to the USS Indianapolis, the flag ship of Admiral Spruance. An initial attack force of 280 USN aircraft were launched from nine American carriers, followed by a second wave of aircraft from four other carriers. Knowing that the Japanese had no air cover, the F6F Hellcats carried 500 pound bombs, and were joined by Avenger torpedo bombers and Curtis SB2C dive bombers. The Americans had learned from their earlier attack on the Musashi to concentrate torpedo attacks on one side of the giant ship. The Yamato was hit with numerous torpedoes and bombs. By 13:00 the giant battleship was listing 20 degrees to port and her antiaircraft guns were inoperative. At 14:10 another torpedo hit jammed the ships rudder, and the Yamato began to circle at about 8 knots. At 14:23 the Yamato rolled over and exploded in a giant mushroom cloud and sank with the loss of nearly 2,500 men. The Grumman TBF Avenger was the first torpedo bomber produced by that company. It bore a resemblance to the F4F Wildcat, and incorporated a unique internal bomb bay capable of carrying a 2,000 lb torpedo or four 500 lb bombs. The TBF was a big aircraft with a wingspan of 54 feet, and an empty weight of 10,080 lbs. It was capable of 271-MPH with a range of 1,215 miles. The Avenger incorporated a light weight electrically driven rear ball turret. The Avenger was so successful that General Motors was also pressed into service producing the aircraft with their version designated as a TBM. |
The Intruders by Dru Blair. USS Saratoga and A-6 Intruders. This painting was originally created as the cover for Stephen Coonts' novel The Intruders. It depicts the USS Saratoga in her prime during operations off the coast of Vietnam circa 1970. The head-on shot illustrates the projection of power that the Saratoga wielded during the later part of the Vietnam war, as well as the reliance of the A-6 Intruder as the Navy's primary attack aircraft during the war. |
Tokyo Bound by Nicolas Trudgian. On April 18, 1942, under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, a small force of B-25 Mitchell light bombers set forth on one of the most audacious air raids of World War II. Launching in a rough sea from the heaving deck of the carrier USS Hornet, the crews knew that even if they achieved success, they were not to return. Their mission to bomb Tokyo and other industrial targets some 800 miles distant would leave them barely enough fuel to fly on to crash-land in China. Nine aircraft were attacked by enemy fighters, every one made it to the target, all but one aircraft were lost. But the raid was a triumph. The Japanese High Command were so alarmed by the Americans ability to strike at their homeland they attempted to expand the perimeter of activity in the central and southern Pacific - with disastrous results. Lt. Col. Doolittle was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in recognition of the extraordinary feat he and his gallant crews performed. Miraculously most survived to fly and fight again later in the war, Jimmy Doolittle going on to command the Eighth Air Force in Europe at the time of the Normandy invasion. |
Aloha Hawaii by Randall Wilson. Battleship USS Pennsylvania off Diamond Head, Hawaii. |
USS Kearsarge by Randall Wilson. USS Kearsarge CV33, USS Princeton and USS Rochester CA124 in Korea 1952 with bearcats over the top. |
USS Baltimore and Saratoga in the Pacific by Anthony Saunders. In February 1944, USS Baltimore and Saratoga make up part of the formidable Task Force 58, forcing their way through the central pacific to attack the Japanese bases in the Marshal Islands in support of Operation Flintlock. |
Arctic guardian - USS Washington by Anthony Saunders In the spring of 1942, USS Washington was the first of Americas fast battleship fleet to participate in combat operations when she was briefly assigned to the Royal Navy. On 28th June 1942, together with HMS Duke of York, HMS Victorious and an accompanying cruiser and destroyer force, she formed part of the distant covering force to convoy PQ17, bound for Russia. In the Pacific later that same year, she became the only modern US battleship to engage an enemy capital ship, sinking the Japanese battlecruiser Kirishima. |
Operation Calendar by Simon Atack. The USS Wasp launches Spitfires of 601 and 603 Squadrons towards Malta in a desperate, but successful, attempt to defend the beleagurered island, April 1942. |
Java and Constitution by Montague Dawson. The battle between HMS Java and USS Constitution on 29th December 1812. HMS Java was captured during this action and was set ablaze by the victors 2 days after the battle, the captured ship so damaged it was deemed unworthy of being taken. |
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