The USS Yorktown is the name borne by several distinguished ships in the United States Navy, most notably the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5) and its successor, USS Yorktown (CV-10). The first, CV-5, was commissioned in 1937 and played a pivotal role in the early Pacific battles of World War II before being sunk at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. Her successor, CV-10, was commissioned in 1943 and participated in numerous major operations in the Pacific Theater, including the Battle of the Philippine Sea and Okinawa. After World War II, CV-10 served in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and as a recovery ship for the Apollo 8 mission before being decommissioned and preserved as a museum ship in Charleston, South Carolina.
