USS Yorktown (CV-5) was the US Navy's first battle-worthy, purpose-built aircraft carrier. Her crew, already accustomed to wartime conditions by maintaining Neutrality Patrols during 1941 in the Atlantic, quickly adapted to the Pacific Theater, having been dispatched there immediately after Pearl Harbor. First at Coral Sea, then at Midway, Yorktown's flyers blunted the sword of Japanese aggression. The men flying from her decks were instrumental in turning the tide of WWII in the Pacific. This volume explores Yorktown's construction, prewar and wartime activities through carefully researched photos, many of which have never before been published, which are reproduced in remarkable clarity. This clarity, and the large size of many of the photos, coupled with descriptive and informative captions, puts the reader on the deck of this historic warship throughout her history.

This fully illustrated guide offers historical context and step-by-step instruction for building and modifying US aircraft carrier models. This volume in the ShipCraft series covers the Yorktown class of American aircraft carriers. These legendary ships kept the Japanese at bay through World War II, in the dark days between Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway, where the USS Yorktown herself was lost. The USS Hornet launched the famous Doolittle Raid on Japan before being sunk at Santa Cruz in October 1942, but the USS Enterprise survived the fierce fighting of the early war years to become the US Navy's most decorated ship. This lavishly illustrated guide takes readers through a brief history of the development and careers of the Yorktown class. With its unparalleled level of visual information—including paint schemes, line drawings and photographs—it is simply the best reference for any modelmaker setting out to build one of these famous carriers.

In the epic Battle of Midway, USS Yorktown, with 2,500 men aboard, received three bomb hits and two torpedoes. Eighty-six men died instantlymany were wounded. At the command, Abandon ship! the crew slid down the lines into the murky, oily waters of the Pacific.Barefoot survivors knelt on the steel deck of a rescuing war ship and offered thanks to the Almighty. The author is a survivor.

Young and idealistic, the men who carried the sea battle that turned the war with Japan brought with them an uncluttered sense of purpose, patriotism and love of country. This is their story.