The story of the Intrepid (CV-11) began when she was ordered in May 1940 as a member of the Essex class. She would be among one of the most advanced class of warships of her day, with speed, armament, newer and more capable aircraft, and modern radars that spelled victory in the Pacific. Although the third ship of her class, her sisters the Essex (CV-9), Yorktown (CV-10), Lexington (CV-16), and Bunker Hill (CV-17) all were commissioned before her. The Intrepid's first significant milestone was when her keel was laid at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company on 1 December 1941"--