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. The story of these ships exemplifies the collective saga of a design class that had absolutely no military precedent before the first keel was laid in June 1942.

In this inside look, underwater photography beneath Pearl Harbor reveals not only the damage sustained in the Arizona's last battle but also how much the ship has degraded over time. We now think of the Arizona only in death but in life it was one of the most innovative warships of its kind, and one of the most iconic ships in American history. The USS Arizona is a national cemetery as well as a national monument, with 900 crew members buried within the vessel.

The original Enterprise, CV-6, gained immortality as “The Fighting Lady” of World War II. But despite her glorious history, she was sent to the scrap yard, only to be redeemed with the 1961 commissioning of CVN-65, the world's first nuclear-powered carrier. Today the USS Enterprise remains on the high seas and on the front lines of America's military engagements.

The first Samuel B. Roberts, DE-413, perished in the greatest naval battle ever fought: In October 1944, as part of minimal force protecting jeep carriers in Leyte Gulf, the vessel faced a tremendously superior Japanese fleet. Fighting to the death, the DE-413 was able to fend off much of the Japanese force before sinking to the bottom of the ocean. The name “Samuel B. Roberts” appeared two more times, including the FFG-58, launched in 1984, which participated in Desert Storm, and remains on-call today for homeland security.

Also known as Old Ironsides, the USS Constitution holds steady as one of the U.S. Navy's most impressive achievements in craftsmanship and endurance. It is one of the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Navy Act of 1794, and today still remains afloat, serving as a training facility for new Navy CPO (chief petty officers).

The name "Nautilus" was passed along Navy surface ships from the War of 1812 through the Mexican War, and then eventually given to submarines beginning in World War I. During World War II, the name was given to a unique sub that was equipped with two six-inch guns designed to combat destroyers and cruisers, yet was also big enough to be assigned to deliver massive amounts of cargo to Marine raiders. From 1951 through 1979, the replacement USS Nautilus completed numerous successful voyages, including sailing under the polar icecap.

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 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. Some of 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.

Not all hero ships were built for battle. The SS Jeremiah O'Brien served as a beacon of hope as one of many so-called liberty ships that kept wartime supplies flowing during the Second World War. The ship miraculously survived the D-Day invasion, and is currently harbored in San Francisco. It continues to participate in Fleet Weeks and cruises across the world.

A technical and historical thumbnail of the US Navy from 1912 through 1945, the USS Texas fought in some of the most horrendous naval battles of the 20th century, including D-Day at Normandy, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Today it's been renovated and set up as floating museum in LaPorte, Texas.

America's most decorated surviving warship, the USS New Jersey has fought in more battles than any other fighting ship in US naval history. From WWII to Korea and Vietnam, Lebanon and Syria, the USS New Jersey was on the front lines, lending support in every major engagement. This episode of HERO SHIPS includes the emotionally stirring first reunion in three decades of two shipmates who served together on the USS New Jersey during Vietnam.

This episode reveals how the latest ship to be named “USS New York” was assembled. An “Amphibious Dock Ship,” 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 New York, born in 1911, was present during the German High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flo in 1918. Later modernized, it fought a two-ocean war in World War II.

The USS Laffey was in reality two great vessels with the same name--the first, DD-459, fought to the death in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November 1942. The second, DD-724, was at the center of World War II's most intensely brutal kamikaze attack, where it earned the nickname “The Ship that Would Not Die.” The crew casualties, however, were high: Over 30 perished and another 70 were wounded.