The Kitty Hawk Class supercarriers were four conventionally powered aircraft carriers of the United States Navy during the Cold War. They were the USS Kitty Hawk, USS Constellation, USS America and the USS John F. Kennedy. They were successors to the Forrestal class, the first true supercarriers. However, while the Kitty Hawk was building, the US was already constructing the nuclear-powered USS Enterprise.
The US Navy continued to build the non-nuclear Kitty Hawk class, because it was cheaper and more available, while still offering similar capabilities to the nuclear carriers. In the more contemporary era where the US Navy is being stretched thin and US naval shipbuilding faces huge challenges, we argue it would be prudent to bring back a conventional carrier class to serve alongside the nuclear fleet. This structure would help introduce a credible high-low mix into the US Navy’s carrier forces.
Credit to : Sea Power Reports