Hero Ships

"Landing Ship Tanks" weren't deemed noble enough to have names. They were not thought of as warships even though they were the first floating metal to touch beaches in engagements from North Africa to the Philippines. But, from D Day to Iwo Jima and Okinawa, the history of these ships is one of an unsung hero. Their story exemplifies the collective saga of a design class that had no military precedent before laying the first keel in June 1942.

Two magnificent ships carried the same great name: the original CV-5 was a martyred hero of the Second World War's two pivotal battles, the Coral Sea and Midway, sinking several Japanese carriers, and its successor, the CV-10, went on to avenge its destroyed namesake assaulting Japanese-held island fortresses through the remainder of the War.

One of the most heroic ships of World War II, CV-8 served as the flight deck for the Doolittle Tokyo raid, and its successor, the CV-12, endured 16 months of non-stop combat action, coming within 40 miles of Japan and setting incredible wartime records. Those feats include: an amazing 10 pilots reaching "Ace in One Day" status; over 1,400 enemy planes destroyed; and an impressive number of Hellcat pilots who became aces.

This episode reveals how the latest ship to be named "USS New York " was assembled. As an amphibious transport dock, it is one of the most technologically advanced vessels in America's arsenal and is reinforced with steel from the World Trade Center towers. Its predecessor, the battleship USS New York , born in 1911, was present during the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flo in 1918. Later modernized, it fought a two-ocean war in World War II.