The Essex Class of Aircraft Carriers was the follow-on to the successful Yorktown Class Carriers built in the mid 1930's. This new design was in response to the Navy's request for a Carrier that could handle more and heavier types of aircraft that were on the drawing boards. This class was divided into the two types: Long Hull and Short Hull variations. The Short Hulled ships were numbers CV9-CV13, CV16-18, CV21, and CV31. The Long Hull Ships were CV14-CV15, CV19-CV20, and CV32-CV47

Most of the Long hulled ships improvements were internal to the ship such as redesigned Gasoline tanks and relocating the CIC under the Armored Deck. The most visible feature of the long hulled ships was that they had a slightly shorter flight deck and a clipper-like bow. This allow the ship to carry 2 40mm mounts on the bow then a single mount for increased AA protection. 26 Ships of this class were ordered by the Navy between 1940 and 1943 with 24 completed and commissioned (CV35 and CV46 cancelled).

The Essex class ships served during WWII in the Pacific Theater of Operations. After the war, most of the early hulls were placed into mothballs and carefully preserved. All of the ships were re-activated for service during the Korean War with the exception of USS Franklin (CV13) and USS Bunker Hill (CV17). Various ships were modified under various programs to extend their service lives and to accommodate new technologies such as Jet Aircraft. A few ships in the class did not undergo modifications and ended up being converted to ASW or Assault Ships in the late 1950s. The Last Essex Class Carrier to see service was the USS Lexington ( CV16) which was retired in 1991.