How long would USS Yorktown have been in dry dock had she survived Midway?

Say that Yorktown receives the same amount of damage from the 2 Japanese airstrikes launched by Hiryu as she did historically, 3 bombs and 2 torpedoes, but unlike historically she doesn't have the misfortune of falling prey to the submarine I-168 and makes it to Pearl Harbor, how long would she have been undergoing repairs, from what I've read the damage she took from that single bomb at Coral sea necessitated 3 months of repair, so I'm guessing the additional damage sustained at Midway would've kept her out of action at least until early 1943?

 

I suspect it would depend a bit on whether or not they decided if and how much else to do as far as upgrades. Likely they would have patched her up at PH then sent her to one of the West coast bases for the majority of the repairs. I suspect it would have been at least July before she reaches the West Coast and perhaps as late as August. She might see service again in 42 or perhaps not until 43. It might also depend on just how closely they examined her. This would have been a chance to get a detailed look at what happened to a damaged carrier and could impact the design and construction of future carriers.

 

So in addition to retaining the service of Yorktown, the US Navy may also learn lessons from the damage and incorporate them into future aircraft carriers, I'd say that's a win-win for us. B)

 

Actually, the Navy did learn lessons and disseminated them to the fleet. Damage control was one thing the US Navy took seriously and made good efforts to learn and spread.

 

She'll be back in the ring in under five months!

USS Saratoga took one fish from a sub in early 42 and was back in action right after Midway and she did not just undergo repairs but a major modernisation! Her 8" anti ship guns were replaced with 5" twins, something the Yorktowns already had. They needed radar and more light and medium AA. Light AA was very easy to retrofit. I guees repairing the underwater damage would have taken more time and perhabs even less than in Sara's case.

She was hit by a 53cm torpedo from a sub with a warhead of 660-900lb. The air dropped 45cm torps had 450lb warheads at the most.

 

Marcus' five months seems a good estimate. Sister Enterprise spent three months, July-October 1943, getting a comprehensive overhaul including bulging, which I expect would have been done to Yorktown also. She had not been torpedoed, but she had underwater damage from numerous near misses and structural damage from five direct hits, and could only be given essential repairs in forward areas.

Yorktown's case would be complicated a bit by the need to be drydocked in Pearl Harbor and have the torpedo holes patched so that she could steam to the West Coast.

Yorktown would probably miss the Guadalcanal campaign, and after November 1942 there was not much action for carriers until the Central Pacific got going in August 1943, with the arrival of the new Essex and Independence class ships.

 

Your thinking of the USS Yorktown(CV-10) of the Essex class. The Yorktown(CV-5) class never carried 5-inch twin mounts, but had the quadruple 1.1-inch mounts, which were replaced with quad 40mm mounts.

 

Five months are my worst case estimate. I expect less due to the much smaller warheads of the 45cm torpedoes.

A couple of more poinst:

Patching up Sara took app. three weeks and I forgot to mention that she got a bluge/blister during her modernisation. She had been overweight for some time but AFAIK the Yorktowns weren't. At least not by mid-42. A year later with all the extra triple-A and antennas its a different matter.

 

I expect you would be wrong. Your "worst case" estimate, is likely very close to what would be a reasonable answer than a worse case one.

As the Type 91 Mod 3 torpedo used by the Japanese at Midway had an explosive charge of 529 pounds as opposed to the most common Japanese submarine torpedo's explosive charge of 661 pounds(Type 89 & Type 92). Also, if you read the USS Saratoga's Damage report for her January torpedoing, you would know that the USN's damage experts estimated the submarine torpedo's charge to be of 500 pounds.

http://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/w/war-damage-reports/uss-saratoga-cv3-war-damage-report-no-19.html

Still, without detailed knowledge of the damages from the two airborne torpedo hits, all we are doing is guessing as to what sounds about right.

 

I must admit I did not expect the Mod.3 to be in service already given that torps with 350lb warheads were still being used at Pearl Harbor.

But we still need to take into consideration that Yorktown needed repairs, not repairs and a not exactly small modernisation.

 

When you say "needed repairs", you need to also figure in the Coral Sea damage that was not repaired in order to get her back in action for Midway. Only the most critical repairs were done. I agree with Takao:

Link to Yorktown Coral Sea damage report:

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/logs/CV/cv5-Coral.html

More info:

http://www.midway42.org/TheBattle/YorktownDamage.aspx

 

The Mod 2 with a 453 pound charge was used at Pearl. Perhaps you are thinking of the Prince of Wales and Repulse which were attacked with a mix of Mod 1 & Mod 2 torpedoes.

The Yorktown still required a lengthy stay in the yard. As USMCPrice has pointed out her Coral Sea damage had not been fully repaired, and you are also presuming that the Yorktown would not be given a refit, which, given a lengthy stay in Bremerton, would probably be unlikely.

The reason, the Enterprise took so long to have a refit, was because she did not receive damage that required a stay in Bremerton. Then, when a refit was necessary, she could not be spared from the Pacific. So, it was not until the summer of '43 that the Enterprise received her first major upgrade.

 

My fundamental assumption is that in mid-42 Yorktown class CV need little modernisation other than more light and medium-AA. And I'm also assuming that USS Yorktown would have been needed in the Solomons.

So repairs and any kind of mondernisation that can be done paralell to the repairs.

 

So it is likely that Yorktown' damage would have been enough to keep her out of the Guadalcanal campaign then, a shame as having an extra carrier would have helped alot.

 

The USN acknowledged the Yorktown's inferior underwater defenses, so at minimum, a torpedo blister would be on order, especially, now that we were free of the Washington Naval Treaty and it's add ons.

Needed in the Solomons...Unlikely at such an early date. Besides the USS Wasp was already, or very soon would be, in the Pacific.(Wasp passed through the Panama Canal on June 10th).

You forget that a similar modernization to the Enterprise side-lined her for about 3 1/2 months(mid-July to November 1, 1943) in Bremerton. And, the Enterprise did not have two gaping holes in her side. Then, you have to factor in emergency repairs at Pearl(to make her seaworthy for the journey to Bremerton), plus travel time to and from Pearl. Not to mention that she may have to spend a brief time working up a new air group.

She would probably come in at the tail-end of the campaign, but would likely miss the juicy bits.

So, yeah, you are probably looking at some 5 months total unavailability for combat.

 

The modernisation of Enterprise was a fully year after Midway and after the loss of two out of three Yorktowns and Wasp to underwater damage. In mid-42 the pictures is different, especially if Yorktown survives Midway. If anything Yorktown would show how well her class is protected from torpedoes.

 

Sorry...

Read the USS Yorktown's "Loss in Action" Report. The torpedo protection system had been recognized as inadequate, her saving grace was internal subdivision which helped to limit flooding.

 

Granted Yorktown survived the aerial torpedo hits, but listing 26 degrees is hardly a sterling testimony to a ship's torpedo protection. Her port side was down to the level of the portholes, apparently the crew did a good job securing them, or perhaps they were permanently sealed as a war measure. It was also fortunate that the seas were calm and that bomb damage had not holed her side.

The Yorktowns were designed under treaty conditions, based on using the remaining allowed carrier tonnage, so it's not surprising that their protection was less than ideal. The Essexes were just 50' longer (wl) but 10' beamier. In 1942 we needed every available flight deck in action, but as soon as we could send Enterprise east of Hawaii she was bulged, and I expect Yorktown would have been also. The second half of 1942 was also when we began installing heavy 40mm batteries, one of the biggest weight and topweight concerns in all classes of ships, and of course we had a new, heavier generation of aircraft coming on line.