USS Saratoga CV-3

Converted from the hulls of unfinished battle cruisers, USS Saratoga and its sister ship USS Lexington were the largest aircraft carriers in the world until 1944. After being commissioned in 1927, Saratoga served through the 1930s and survived many key battles in the Pacific during World War II and took part in Operation Magic Carpet, the repatriation of U.S. service personnel from Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. Considered surplus to requirements after the war, she was used as a test vessel during the American nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll and sunk.

Given the ship’s long and storied career including multiple refits and camouflage patterns, USS Saratoga offers modelers a lot of scope for projects. David Doyle’s USS Saratoga (CV-3) — From the 1920s-30s and WWII Combat to Operation Crossroads is a great resource for those projects. The 144-page hardcover is part of Schiffer’s Legends of Warfare Naval series and features more than 350 photos of the ship from construction to service and its unceremonious demise. Images show how Saratoga’s appearance changed through several refits, including many details of the island, flightdeck, and armament. Line drawings and color profiles complement the photos. Key for many are the photos of many of the aircraft that flew off the ship, from the early Vought UO-1, Boeing F2B, Martin T4M, and Vought O2U Corsair to the wartime Grumman F4F, F6F, and Avenger among many others. There are color profiles of many of these aircraft that really bolster the book’s usefulness at the workbench.