A Favourite Sister The CV-3 Saratoga was launched as the second ship in the U.S. Navy's Lexington class of aircraft carriers in April 1925 and commissioned in November 1927. Fondly nicknamed """"Sister Sara"""", she was in fact originally laid down as a battle cruiser but converted into an aircraft carrier during construction. Thus, she had a more slim-line hull than other carriers and featured an enclosed bow that was unusual for the times but improved protection from higher swells. The large starboard-side funnel was positioned almost in the center of the ship and featured the bridge with 5-inch guns immediately ahead of it. Sister Sara was the longest aircraft carrier to take part in operations in the Pacific, and she withstood some fearful assaults and damage to survive WWII. Her final contribution to the U.S. cause came in 1946, when she was used as a target and sunk in nuclear tests together with the Japanese ship Nagato among others.