USS Essex - Definition and Overview

Five ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Essex, after the town of Essex, Massachusetts.

• The first Essex was a 32-gun sailing frigate launched in 1799, one of the heroes of the War of 1812.

• The second Essex was an ironclad steamer in the American Civil War.

• The third Essex was a wooden screw steamer launched in 1876, one of the last ships of the "Old Navy".

• The fourth Essex (CV-9) was an aircraft carrier commissioned in 1942 (as the first of the Essex class) and active in World War II, the Korean War, and Project Apollo, finally decommissioning in 1969.

• The fifth Essex (LHD-2) is an amphibious assault ship commissioned 1992 and on active service in 2003.