These ships were all larger and had a greater aircraft capacity than all the preceding American built escort carriers. They were also all laid down as escort carriers and not converted
merchant ships. Propulsion was provided by a steam turbine, two boilers connected to one shaft giving 9,350
brake horsepower (SHP), which could propel the ship at . Aircraft facilities were a small combined bridge–flight control on the
starboard side, two aircraft lifts by , one
aircraft catapult and nine
arrestor wires. Aircraft could be housed in the by hangar below the flight deck. Armament comprised: two
4"/50,
5"/38 or
5"/51 Dual Purpose guns in single mounts, sixteen
40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns in twin mounts and twenty
20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons in single mounts. They had a maximum aircraft capacity of twenty-four aircraft which could be a mixture of
Grumman Martlet,
Vought F4U Corsair or
Hawker Sea Hurricane fighter aircraft and
Fairey Swordfish or
Grumman Avenger anti-submarine aircraft. ==Service history==