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An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and recover aircraft, acting as a sea-going airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power great distances without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations. They have evolved from wooden vessels used to deploy a balloon into nuclear powered warships that carry dozens of fixed and rotary wing aircraft. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1500x804, 269 KB) Original description: Four ships from three nations sail together during the NATO exercise Display Determination 91. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1500x804, 269 KB) Original description: Four ships from three nations sail together during the NATO exercise Display Determination 91. ...
The aircraft carrier PrÃncipe de Asturias (R-11) is the flagship of the Spanish Navy. ...
For the general article on amphibious ships, see Amphibious warfare ship. ...
USS Wasp (LHD-1) is a U.S. Navy multipurpose amphibious assault ship, the tenth to be named after the wasp, and the lead ship of her class. ...
USS Forrestal (CVA/CV/AVT-59) was a United States Navy aircraft carrier, the lead ship of her class of supercarriers, named after Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal. ...
V/STOL is an acronym for Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing. ...
For other ships of the same name, see HMS Invincible. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Flying machine redirects here. ...
Lajes Airbase in the Azores islands, Portugal An Airbase, sometimes referred to as a military airport or airfield, provides basing and support of military aircraft. ...
Naval redirects here. ...
Aerial warfare is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of warfare. ...
For other uses, see Balloon (disambiguation). ...
The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945 lifted nuclear fallout some 18 km (60,000 feet) above the epicenter. ...
A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more large horizontal rotors (propellers). ...
Balloon carriers were the first ships to deploy manned aircraft, used during the 19th and early 20th century, mainly for observation purposes. The 1903 advent of fixed wing airplanes was followed in 1910 by the first flight of such an aircraft from the deck of a US Navy cruiser. Seaplanes and seaplane tender support ships, such as HMS Engadine, followed. The development of flat top vessels produced the first large fleet ships. This evolution was well underway by the mid 1920s, resulting in ships such as the HMS Hermes, Hōshō, and the Lexington class aircraft carriers. Balloon carriers, or Balloon tenders were a type of ships equipped with balloon (usually captive, and usually used for observations), during the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. ...
Fixed-wing aircraft is a term used to refer to what are more commonly known as aeroplanes in Commonwealth English (excluding Canada) or airplanes in North American English. ...
USS Port Royal (CG-73), a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser (really an uprated guided missile destroyer), launched in 1992. ...
A DeHavilland Single Otter floatplane in Harbour Air livery. ...
A seaplane tender (or seaplane carrier) is a ship which provides the facililites necessary for operating seaplanes. ...
HMS Engadine was a seaplane tender which served in the First World War. ...
For other ships with the same name, see HMS Hermes. ...
This page refers to the Japanese aircraft carrier. ...
The Lexington class aircraft carriers were the first operational aircraft carriers in the United States Navy (USS Langley was a strictly developmental ship which only served for a short time as an active fleet unit before being converted to a seaplane tender AV-3). ...
World War II saw the first large scale use and further refinement of the aircraft carrier, spawning several types. Escort aircraft carriers, such as USS Barnes, were built only during World War II. Although some were purpose built, most were converted from merchant ships, and were a stop-gap measure in order to provide air support for convoys and amphibious invasions. Light aircraft carriers, such as USS Independence represented a larger, more "militarized" version of the escort carrier concept. Although the light carriers usually carried the same size air groups as escort carriers, they had the advantage of higher speed as they had been converted from cruisers under construction rather than civilian merchant ships. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, was a small aircraft carrier developed by the Royal Navy in the early part of World War II to deal with the U-boat crisis of the Battle of the Atlantic. ...
The USS Barnes (CVE-20) (earlier AVG-20 then ACV-20) was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract; transferred to the Navy 1 May 1942; launched 22 May 1942 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. ...
Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
A light aircraft carrier is an aircraft carrier that is smaller than the standard carriers of a navy. ...
The fourth USS Independence (CVL-22) (also CV-22) was a United States Navy light aircraft carrier, lead ship of her class. ...
Wartime emergencies also saw the creation or conversion of other, unconventional aircraft carriers. CAM ships, like the SS Michael E, were cargo carrying merchant ships which could launch but not retrieve fighter aircraft from a catapult. These vessels were an emergency measure during World War II as were Merchant aircraft carriers (MACs), such as MV Empire MacAlpine, another emergency measure which saw cargo-carrying merchant ships equipped with flight decks. Battlecarriers were created by the Imperial Japanese Navy to partially compensate for the loss of carrier strength at Midway.[citation needed] Two of them were made from Ise class battleships during late 1943. The aft turrets were removed and replaced with a hangar, deck and catapult. The heavy cruiser Mogami concurrently received a similar conversion. This "half and half" design was an unsuccessful compromise, being neither one thing nor the other. Submarine aircraft carriers, such as the French Surcouf, or the Japanese I-400 class submarines, which were capable of carrying 3 Aichi M6A Seiran aircraft, were first built in the 1920s, but were generally unsuccessful at war. Modern navies that operate such ships treat aircraft carriers as the capital ship of the fleet, a role previously played by the battleship. The change, part of the growth of air power as a significant part of warfare, took place during World War II. This change was driven by the superior range, flexibility and effectiveness of carrier-launched aircraft. Look up emergency in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
A CAM ship was a World War II-era British merchant ship used in convoys as a cheap emergency solution to the shortage of escort carriers. ...
Merchant aircraft carriers (MAC) were minimal aircraft carriers used during World War II by Great Britain and Holland as an emergency measure until the United States-built escort carriers became available. ...
MV Empire MacAlpine was a Grain ship converted to Merchant Aircraft Carrier (MAC ship). ...
For Combined Fleet, please see that article. ...
Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Chester W. Nimitz Frank J. Fletcher Raymond A. Spruance Isoroku Yamamoto Chuichi Nagumo Tamon Yamaguchi†Strength 3 carriers, ~50 support ships, 233 carrier aircraft, 127 land-based aircraft 4 carriers, 7 battleships, ~150 support ships, 248 carrier aircraft, 16 floatplanes Casualties 1 carrier...
Image:Battleship Ise. ...
For other ships of the same name, see Japanese cruiser Mogami. ...
Submarine aircraft carriers are submarines equipped with airplanes for observation or attack missions. ...
Five ships of the French Navy have borne the name Surcouf, in honour of the 18th century Saint-Malo corsair Robert Surcouf: see French ship Surcouf for the list. ...
The Sen Toku I-400 class (伊四〇〇型潜水艦) submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy were the largest submarines of WW2, the largest non-nuclear submarines ever constructed, and the largest in the world until the development of nuclear ballistic submarines in the 1960s. ...
Aichi can refer to: Aichi Prefecture Aichi Steel Corporation This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
The Aichi M6A Seiran (晴嵐 - Mountain Haze) was a submarine-launched attack floatplane designed for the Imperial Japanese Navy. ...
The capital ships of a navy are its important warships; the ones with the heaviest firepower and armor. ...
For other uses, see Battleship (disambiguation). ...
Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
Following the war, the scope of carrier operations continued to increase in size and importance. The Supercarrier, typically displacing 75,000 tonnes or greater has been the pinnacle of carrier development since their introduction. Most are powered by nuclear reactors and form the core of a fleet designed to operate far from home. Amphibious assault carriers, such as USS Tarawa or HMS Ocean, which serve the purpose of carrying and landing Marines and operate a large contingent of helicopters for that purpose. They have a secondary capability to operate VSTOL aircraft. Also known as "commando carriers" or "helicopter carriers". USS Enterprise, a supercarrier, and the conventionally-sized aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle USS A supercarrier is a ship belonging to the largest class of aircraft carrier, and generally has a displacement greater than 75,000 tons. ...
For the general article on amphibious ships, see Amphibious warfare ship. ...
USS Tarawa (LHA-1), nicknamed Eagle of the Sea, is a United States Navy amphibious assault ship, the lead ship of her class, and the second ship to be named for Tarawa Atoll, site of a Marine landing during World War II. The first Tarawa was the USS Tarawa (CV...
HMS Ocean (centre right) in a 5-country multinational fleet, during Operation Enduring Freedom in the Oman Sea. ...
Lacking the firepower of other warships, carriers by themselves are considered vulnerable to attack by other ships, aircraft, submarines or missiles and therefore travel as part of a carrier battle group (CVBG) for their protection. Unlike other types of capital ships in the 20th century, aircraft carrier designs since World War II have been effectively unlimited by any consideration save budgetary, and the ships have increased in size to handle the larger aircraft: The large, modern Nimitz class of United States Navy carriers has a displacement nearly four times that of the World War II-era USS Enterprise yet its complement of aircraft is roughly the same, a consequence of the steadily increasing size of military aircraft over the years. The Abraham Lincoln battle group during the 2000 RIMPAC exercises A carrier battle group (CVBG) consists of an aircraft carrier (CV) and its escorts. ...
The Nimitz-class supercarriers are a line of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service with the US Navy, and are the largest capital ships in the world. ...
USS Enterprise (CV-6) was the sixth aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the seventh US Navy ship of that name. ...
[edit] History and milestones Though aircraft carriers are given their definition with respect to fixed-wing aircraft, the first known instance of using a ship for airborne operations occurred in 1806, when the British Royal Navy's Lord Thomas Cochrane launched kites from the 32-gun frigate HMS Pallas in order to drop propaganda leaflets on the French territory. Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald (14 December 1775–October 31, 1860) was a politician and naval adventurer. ...
Seven ships of Brtains Royal Navy have been called HMS Pallas. ...
[edit] Balloon carriers -
 The Union Army balloon Washington aboard the George Washington Parke Custis, towed by the tug Coeur de Lion. On July 12, 1849, the Austrian Navy ship Vulcano launched a manned hot air balloon in order to drop bombs on Venice, although the attempt failed due to contrary winds.[1] Balloon carriers, or Balloon tenders were a type of ships equipped with balloon (usually captive, and usually used for observations), during the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Balloon_barge. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Balloon_barge. ...
is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1849 (MDCCCXLIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...
This article is about hot air balloons themselves. ...
For other uses, see Venice (disambiguation). ...
Later, later, during the American Civil War, about the time of the Peninsula Campaign, gas-filled balloons were being used to perform reconnaissance on Confederate positions. The battles soon turned inland into the heavily forested areas of the Peninsula, however, where balloons could not travel. A coal barge, the George Washington Parke Custis, was cleared of all deck rigging to accommodate the gas generators and apparatus of balloons. From the GWP Prof. Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, Chief Aeronaut of the Union Army Balloon Corps, made his first ascents over the Potomac River and telegraphed claims of the success of the first aerial venture ever made from a water-borne vessel. Other barges were converted to assist with the other military balloons transported about the eastern waterways. It is only fair to point out in deference to modern aircraft carriers that none of these Civil War crafts had ever taken to the high seas. Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total...
McClellan and Johnston of the Peninsula Campaign The Peninsula Campaign (also known as the Peninsular Campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. ...
A hot air balloon is prepared for flight by inflation of the envelope with propane burners. ...
Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine Lowe (1832-1913) Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine Lowe (August 20, 1832 – January 16, 1913) was an American aeronaut, scientist and inventor. ...
Woodblock sketch of Lowes balloon with McClellans Army of the Potomac as depicted in Harpers Weekly. ...
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States (USA). ...
Balloons launched from ships led to the development of balloon carriers, or balloon tenders, during World War I, by the navies of Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and Sweden. About ten such "balloon tenders" were built, their main objective being aerial observation posts. These ships were either decommissioned or converted to seaplane tenders after the war. Balloon carriers, or Balloon tenders were a type of ships equipped with balloon (usually captive, and usually used for observations), during the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. ...
“The Great War †redirects here. ...
A seaplane tender (or seaplane carrier) is a ship which provides the facililites necessary for operating seaplanes. ...
[edit] Seaplane carriers -
 The first seaplane carrier, the French La Foudre (right, with hangar and crane), with one of her Canard Voisin seaplanes taking off, during tactical exercises in June 1912. The invention of the seaplane in March 1910 with the French Le Canard led to the earliest development of a ship designed to carry airplanes, albeit equipped with floats: in December 1911 appears the French Navy La Foudre, the first seaplane carrier, and the first known carrier of airplanes. Commissioned as a seaplane tender, and carrying float-equipped planes under hangars on the main deck, from where they were lowered on the sea with a crane, she participated in tactical exercises in the Mediterranean in 1912. La Foudre was further modified in November 1913 with a 10 meter long flat deck to launch her seaplanes.[2] A seaplane tender (or seaplane carrier) is a ship which provides the facililites necessary for operating seaplanes. ...
Image File history File links CanardVoisinJune1912. ...
Image File history File links CanardVoisinJune1912. ...
La Foudre was a French seaplane carrier, and arguably the first seaplane carrier in history [1]. Her development followed the invention of the seaplane in 1910 with the French Le Canard. ...
The Canard Voisin was a plane developed by Gabriel and Charles Voisin in 1910. ...
A DeHavilland Single Otter floatplane in Harbour Air livery. ...
The 1910 Le Canard Le Canard (lit. ...
La Foudre was a French seaplane carrier, and arguably the first seaplane carrier in history [1]. Her development followed the invention of the seaplane in 1910 with the French Le Canard. ...
A seaplane tender (or seaplane carrier) is a ship which provides the facililites necessary for operating seaplanes. ...
This article refers to the tool of travel. ...
HMS Hermes, temporarily converted as an experimental seaplane carrier in April-May 1913, is also one of the first seaplane carriers, and the first experimental seaplane carrier of the British Navy. She was originally laid down as a merchant ship, but was converted on the building stocks to be a seaplane carrier for a few trials in 1913, before being converted again to a cruiser, and back again to a seaplane carrier in 1914. She was sunk by a German submarine in October 1914. The first seaplane tender of the US Navy was the USS Mississippi, converted to that role in December 1913.[3] HMS Hermes was the first of three modified Eclipse class cruisers, commonly known as the Highflyer class. ...
USS Mississippi (Battleship No. ...
Many cruisers and capital ships of the inter-war years often carried a catapult launched seaplane for reconnaissance and spotting the fall of the guns. It was launched by a catapult and recovered by crane from the water after landing. These were highly successful during World War II; there were many notable successes early in the war as shown by HMS Warspite’s float equipped Swordfish during operations in the Norwegian fjords in 1940. The Japanese Rufe floatplane derived from the Zero was a formidable fighter with only a slight loss in flight performance, one of their pilots scored 26 kills in the A6M2-N Rufe; a score only bettered by a handful of American pilots throughout WW2. Other Japanese seaplanes launched from tenders and warships sank merchant ships and small-scale ground attacks. The culmination of the type was the American 300+ mph (480 km/h) Curtiss SC Seahawk which was actually a fighter aircraft like the Rufe in addition to a two-seat gunnery spotter and transport for an injured man in a litter. Spotter seaplane aircraft on U.S. Navy cruisers and battleships were in service until 1949. Seaplane fighters were considered poor combat aircraft compared to their carrier-launched brethren; they were slower due to the drag of their pontoons or boat hulls. Contemporary propeller-driven, land-based fighter aircraft were much faster (450-480 mph / 720-770 km/h as opposed to 300-350 mph / 480-560 km/h) and more heavily armed. The Curtiss Seahawk only had two 0.50 inch (12.7 mm) calibre machine guns compared to four 20 mm cannon in the Grumman F8F Bearcat or four 0.50 (12.7 mm) cal machine guns plus two 20 mm cannon in the Vought F4U Corsair. Jet aircraft of just a few years later were faster still (500+ mph) and still better armed, especially with the development of air to air missiles in the early to mid 1950s. USS Port Royal, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, launched in 1994. ...
The capital ships of a navy are its important warships; the ones with the heaviest firepower and armor. ...
HMS Warspite was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship of the British Royal Navy. ...
Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during World War II. Affectionately known as the Stringbag by its crews, it was outdated by 1939, but achieved some spectacular successes during the...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
The Curtiss SC Seahawk was designed in 1942 as a replacement for the Curtiss SO3C Seamew and the Vought OS2U Kingfisher. ...
The Grumman F8F Bearcat (affectionately called Bear) was the companys final piston engined fighter aircraft. ...
The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter aircraft that saw service in World War II and the Korean War (and in isolated local conflicts). ...
A US Navy VF-103 Jolly Rogers F-14 Tomcat fighter launches an AIM-54 Phoenix long-range air-to-air missile. ...
[edit] Genesis of the flat-deck carrier | "An airplane-carrying vessel is indispensable. These vessels will be constructed on a plan very different from what is currently used. First of all the deck will be cleared of all obstacles. It will be flat, as wide as possible without jeopardizing the nautical lines of the hull, and it will look like a landing field." | | Clément Ader, "L'Aviation Militaire", 1909 | As heavier-than-air aircraft developed in the early 20th century various navies began to take an interest in their potential use as scouts for their big gun warships. In 1909 the French inventor Clément Ader published in his book "L'Aviation Militaire" the description of a ship to operate airplanes at sea, with a flat flight deck, an island superstructure, deck elevators and a hangar bay.[4] That year the US Naval Attaché in Paris sent a report on his observations.[5] Photograph of Ader Clément Ader (February 4, 1841 – March 5, 1926) was a French engineer born in Muret, Haute Garonne remembered primarily for his pioneering work in aviation. ...
LAviation Militaire (lit. ...
Photograph of Ader Clément Ader (February 4, 1841 – March 5, 1926) was a French engineer born in Muret, Haute Garonne remembered primarily for his pioneering work in aviation. ...
LAviation Militaire (lit. ...
// Sociological concept In social sciences, superstructure is the set of socio-psychological feedback loops that maintain a coherent and meaningful structure in a given society, or part thereof. ...
A number of experimental flights were made to test the concept. Eugene Ely was the first pilot to launch from a stationary ship in November 1910. He took off from a structure fixed over the forecastle of the US armored cruiser USS Birmingham at Hampton Roads, Virginia and landed nearby on Willoughby Spit after some five minutes in the air. is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...
Eugene Burton Ely (October 21, 1886 - October 19, 1911) was an aviation pioneer, credited with the first shipboard aircraft take off and landing. ...
For other uses, see Aviator (disambiguation). ...
Schematic section of a typical armoured cruiser with an armoured upper and middle deck and side belt (red), lateral protective coal bunkers (grey) and a double-bottom of watertight compartments. ...
USS Birmingham (CL-2), named for the city of Birmingham in Alabama, was a Chester class light cruiser laid down by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company at Quincy in Massachusetts on 14 August 1905, launched on 29 May 1907 by Mrs L. Underwood and commissioned on 11 April 1908, Commander...
This view from space in July 1996 shows portions of each of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads which generally surround the harbor area of Hampton Roads, which framed by the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel visible to the east (right), the Virginia Peninsula subregion to the north (top), and the...
This article is about the U.S. state. ...
Hampton Roads, Virginia 1858 Willoughby Spit is a peninsula of land in the independent city of Norfolk, Virginia in the United States. ...
On January 18, 1911 he became the first pilot to land on a stationary ship. He took off from the Tanforan racetrack and landed on a similar temporary structure on the aft of USS Pennsylvania anchored at the San Francisco waterfront — the improvised braking system of sandbags and ropes led directly to the arrestor hook and wires described above. His aircraft was then turned around and he was able to take off again. Commander Charles Samson, RN, became the first airman to take off from a moving warship on May 2, 1912. He took off in a Short S27 from the battleship HMS Hibernia while she steamed at 10.5 knots (19 km/h) during the Royal Fleet Review at Weymouth. Image File history File links USS_Pennsylvania_-_First_airplane_landing. ...
Image File history File links USS_Pennsylvania_-_First_airplane_landing. ...
is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...
is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...
The Shops at Tanforan is a shopping mall and business area in San Bruno, California, in the Peninsula area of the Bay Area, 10 miles south of San Francisco. ...
The second USS Pennsylvania (ACR-4), also referred to Armored Cruiser No. ...
This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...
Commander is a military rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. ...
This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ...
is the 122nd day of the year (123rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...
HMS Hibernia was a King Edward VII-class battleship of Britains Royal Navy, the last generation of British pre-dreadnoughts. ...
HMS Terrible at Queen Victorias Diamond Jubilee Fleet Review in 1897. ...
, Weymouth is a town in Dorset, England, United Kingdom, situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast. ...
[edit] World War I
 The Japanese seaplane carrier Wakamiya conducted the world's first naval-launched air raids in September 1914. The first strike from a carrier against a land target as well as a sea target took place in September 1914 when the Imperial Japanese Navy seaplane carrier Wakamiya conducted the world's first naval-launched air raids[6] from Kiaochow Bay during the Battle of Tsingtao in China.[7] The four Maurice Farman seaplanes bombarded German-held land targets (communication centers and command centers) and damaged a German minelayer in the Tsingtao peninsula from September until November 6, 1914, when the Germans surrendered.[8] On the Western front the first naval air raid occurred on December 25, 1914 when twelve seaplanes from HMS Engadine, Riviera and Empress (cross-channel steamers converted into seaplane carriers) attacked the Zeppelin base at Cuxhaven. The attack was not a complete success, although a German warship was damaged; nevertheless the raid demonstrated in the European theatre the feasibility of attack by ship-borne aircraft and showed the strategic importance of this new weapon. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Wakamiya (Japanese:若宮丸, later 若宮艦) was a seaplane carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the first Japanese aircraft carrier. ...
For Combined Fleet, please see that article. ...
Wakamiya (Japanese:若宮丸, later 若宮艦) was a seaplane carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the first Japanese aircraft carrier. ...
The Jiaozhou Bay was a 552km² German colony which existed from 1898 to 1914. ...
The Battle of Tsingtao was the attack on the German-controlled port of Tsingtao (now Qingdao) in China during World War I. It too took place between 27 August-7 November 1914 and was fought by Japan and the United Kingdom against Germany. ...
Maurice Alain Farman (March 21, 1877 - February 25, 1964) was a French Grand Prix motor racing champion, an aviator, and an aircraft manufacturer and designer. ...
Tsingtao redirects here. ...
is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...
is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...
The Cuxhaven Raid was a British ship-based air reconnaissance of the Heligoland Bight, including Cuxhaven, Heligoland and Wilhelmshaven . ...
 HMS Ark Royal, a seaplane carrier also equipped with two regular aeroplanes, was arguably the first modern aircraft carrier. HMS Ark Royal was arguably the first modern aircraft carrier. She was originally laid down as a merchant ship, but was converted on the building stocks to be a hybrid airplane/seaplane carrier with a launch platform. Launched September 5, 1914, she served in the Dardanelles campaign and throughout World War I. Image File history File linksMetadata Ark_Royal_(1914). ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Ark_Royal_(1914). ...
The Royal Navy had been using a converted cruiser, HMS Hermes, as a seaplane carrier, to conduct trials in 1913. ...
The Royal Navy had been using a converted cruiser, HMS Hermes, as a seaplane carrier, to conduct trials in 1913. ...
is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...
The Dardanelles, a long narrow strait dividing the Balkans (Europe) along the Gallipoli peninsula from Asia Minor. ...
Other carrier operations were mounted during the war the most successful taking place on 19 July 1918 when seven Sopwith Camels launched from HMS Furious attacked the German Zeppelin base at Tondern, with two 50 lb (23 kg) bombs each. Several airships and balloons were destroyed, but as the carrier had no method of recovering the aircraft safely, two of the pilots ditched their aircraft in the sea alongside the carrier while the others headed for neutral Denmark. is the 200th day of the year (201st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...
The Sopwith Camel Scout is a British First World War single-seat fighter aircraft that was famous for its maneuverability. ...
HMS Furious was a modified Courageous class large light cruiser (an extreme form of battlecruiser) converted into an early aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy. ...
Zeppelins are a type of rigid airship pioneered by German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century, based in part on an earlier design by aviation pioneer David Schwarz. ...
Tønder (German Tondern) is a municipality in south Denmark, in the county of South Jutland on the peninsula of Jutland. ...
USS Akron (ZRS-4) in flight, November 2, 1931 An airship or dirigible is a buoyant lighter-than-air aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air. ...
A hot air balloon is prepared for flight by inflation of the envelope with propane burners. ...
[edit] Inter-war years
 The first full-length flat deck, HMS Argus in 1918 The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 placed strict limits on the tonnages of battleships and battlecruisers for the major naval powers after World War I, as well as limits not only on the total tonnage for carriers, but also an upper limit on 27,000 tonnes for each ship. Although exceptions were made regarding the max ship tonnage (fleet units counted, experimental units did not), the total tonnage could not be exceeded. However, while all of the major navies were over-tonnage on battleships, they were all considerably under-tonnage on aircraft carriers. Consequently, many battleships and battlecruisers under construction (or in service) were converted into aircraft carriers. The first ship to have a full length flat deck was HMS Argus the conversion of which was completed in September 1918, with the U.S. Navy not following suit until 1920, when the conversion of USS Langley (an experimental ship which did not count against America's carrier tonnage) had completed. The first American fleet carriers would not join the service until November, 1927 when the USS Saratoga was commissioned. (USS Lexington was commissioned in December of that year.) Image File history File links Download high resolution version (625x675, 117 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (625x675, 117 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ...
Argus in harbour in 1918, painted in dazzle camouflage, with a Renown class battlecruiser. ...
The Washington Naval Treaty limited the naval armaments of its five signatories: the United States, the British Empire, the Empire of Japan, the French Third Republic, and Italy. ...
[[Image:HMS Hood and HMS Barham. ...
“The Great War †redirects here. ...
Argus in harbour in 1918, painted in dazzle camouflage, with a Renown class battlecruiser. ...
USN redirects here. ...
The USS Langley (CV-1/AV-3) was the United States Navys first aircraft carrier. ...
The Lexington class aircraft carriers were the first operational aircraft carriers in the United States Navy (USS Langley was a strictly developmental ship which only served for a short time as an active fleet unit before being converted to a seaplane tender AV-3). ...
The fourth USS Lexington (CV-2), nicknamed the Gray Lady or Lady Lex, was the second aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. ...
The first purpose-designed aircraft carrier to be laid down was the HMS Hermes in 1918, the next year Japan began work on Hōshō. Three years later in December 1922, Hōshō became the first to be commissioned while HMS Hermes began service in July 1923.[9][10] Hermes' design preceded and influenced that of Hōshō, and its construction actually began earlier, but numerous tests, experiments and budget considerations delayed its commission. Download high resolution version (740x620, 77 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
Download high resolution version (740x620, 77 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
For Combined Fleet, please see that article. ...
This page refers to the Japanese aircraft carrier. ...
HMS Hermes (95) was the first purpose built aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy, and the second in the world after the Imperial Japanese Navys Hosho. ...
This page refers to the Japanese aircraft carrier. ...
By the late 1930s, aircraft carriers around the world typically carried three types of aircraft: torpedo bombers, also used for conventional bombings and reconnaissance; dive bombers, also used for reconnaissance (in the U.S. Navy, this type of aircraft were known as "scout bombers"); and fighters for fleet defense and bomber escort duties. Because of the restricted space on aircraft carriers, all these aircraft were of small, single-engined types, usually with folding wings to facilitate storage. A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with torpedoes, but they could also carry out conventional bombings. ...
Mixed reconnaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944 Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering of information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ...
A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy. ...
An A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-86 Sabre, P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang fly in formation during an air show at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. ...
Folding wing of a De_Havilland_Sea_Vixen Folding wings are a design feature of most naval aircraft that operate from aircraft carriers. ...
[edit] World War II Aircraft carriers played a significant role in World War II. With seven aircraft carriers afloat, the British Royal Navy had a considerable numerical advantage at the start of the war as neither the Germans nor the Italians had carriers of their own. However, the vulnerability of carriers compared to traditional battleships when forced into a gun-range encounter was quickly illustrated by the sinking of HMS Glorious by German battlecruisers during the Norwegian campaign in 1940. HMS Glorious was a warship of the Royal Navy. ...
This apparent weakness to battleships was turned on its head in November 1940 when HMS Illustrious launched a long-range strike on the Italian fleet at Taranto. This operation incapacitated three of the six battleships in the harbour at a cost of two of the 21 attacking Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers. Carriers also played a major part in reinforcing Malta, both by transporting planes and by defending convoys sent to supply the besieged island. The use of carriers prevented the Italian Navy and land-based German aircraft from dominating the Mediterranean theatre. The fourth HMS Illustrious (R87) of the Royal Navy was an aircraft carrier, arguably the one with the most distinguished and vital career of this proud lineage. ...
This article is about the 1940 battle. ...
Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during World War II. Affectionately known as the Stringbag by its crews, it was outdated by 1939, but achieved some spectacular successes during the...
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with torpedoes, but they could also carry out conventional bombings. ...
Pre-unitarian navies of the Italian states Regia Marina - Royal Navy of the Kingdom of Italy (1861 - 1946) Marina Militare - Navy of the Italian Republic (1946 - today) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ...
In the Atlantic, aircraft from HMS Ark Royal and HMS Victorious were responsible for slowing Bismarck during May 1941. Later in the war, escort carriers proved their worth guarding convoys crossing the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. HMS Victorious (R38) was the second Illustrious-class aircraft carrier ordered under the 1936 Naval Programme. ...
The German battleship Bismarck is one of the most famous warships of the Second World War. ...
Combatants Royal Navy Royal Canadian Navy United States Navy Kriegsmarine Regia Marina Commanders Sir Percy Noble Sir Max K. Horton Ernest J. King Erich Raeder Karl Dönitz Casualties 30,248 merchant sailors 3,500 merchant vessels 175 warships 28,000 sailors 783 submarines The Second Battle of the Atlantic...
The Arctic convoys of World War II travelled from the United States and the United Kingdom to the northern ports of the Soviet Union - Archangel and Murmansk. ...
Many of the major battles in the Pacific involved aircraft carriers. Japan started the war with ten aircraft carriers, the largest and most modern carrier fleet in the world at that time. There were six American aircraft carriers at the beginning of the hostilities, although only three of them were operating in the Pacific. For other meanings of Pacific, see Pacific (disambiguation). ...
Drawing on the 1939 Japanese development of shallow water modifications for aerial torpedoes and the 1940 British aerial attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto, the 1941 Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was a clear illustration of the power projection capability afforded by a large force of modern carriers. Concentrating six flattops in a single striking unit marked a turning point in naval history, as no other nation had fielded anything comparable. (Though Germany and Italy began construction of carriers, neither were completed. Of the two, Germany's Graf Zeppelin had the greater potential.) Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, southern Italy. ...
This article is about the actual attack. ...
USS , and HMS Illustrious, two aircraft carriers on a joint patrol. ...
Graf Zeppelin was an aircraft carrier of the Kriegsmarine, named like the famous airship in honour of Graf (Count) Ferdinand von Zeppelin. ...
Meanwhile, the Japanese began their advance through Southeast Asia and the sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse by Japanese land-based aircraft drove home the need for this ship class for fleet defence from aerial attack. In April 1942, the Japanese fast carrier strike force ranged into the Indian Ocean and sank shipping, including the damaged and undefended carrier HMS Hermes. Smaller Allied fleets with inadequate aerial protection were forced to retreat or be destroyed. In the Coral Sea, US and Japanese fleets traded aircraft strikes in the first battle where neither side's ships sighted the other. At the Battle of Midway all four Japanese carriers engaged were sunk by planes from three American carriers (one of which was lost) and the battle is considered the turning point of the war in the Pacific. Notably, the battle was orchestrated by the Japanese to draw out American carriers that had proven very elusive and troublesome to the Japanese. Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...
Combatants Force Z of the Royal Navy Imperial Japanese Navy Commanders Sir Tom Phillips †John Leach †William Tennant Niichi Nakanishi Shichizo Miyauchi Strength 1 battleship 1 battlecruiser 4 destroyers 10 aircraft 88 aircraft (34 torpedo aircraft, 51 level bombers, 3 scouting aircraft) Casualties 1 battleship, 1 battlecruiser sunk, 840 killed...
For other ships with the same name, see HMS Hermes. ...
Combatants United States Navy Royal Australian Navy Imperial Japanese Navy Commanders Frank J. Fletcher John G. Crace Shigeyoshi Inoue Takeo Takagi Strength 2 large carriers, 3 cruisers 2 large carriers, 1 light carrier, 4 cruisers Casualties 1 fleet carrier, 1 destroyer, 1 oil tanker sunk 543 killed 1 light carrier...
Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Chester W. Nimitz Frank J. Fletcher Raymond A. Spruance Isoroku Yamamoto Chuichi Nagumo Tamon Yamaguchi†Strength 3 carriers, ~50 support ships, 233 carrier aircraft, 127 land-based aircraft 4 carriers, 7 battleships, ~150 support ships, 248 carrier aircraft, 16 floatplanes Casualties 1 carrier...
 4 US Navy carriers right after the war, showing the size and length difference between an early battlecruiser conversion, the Saratoga (bottom), an early fleet carrier Enterprise (2nd from bottom), a war time built Essex-class carrier (2nd from top, the Hornet) and a light carrier based on a cruiser hull, the San Jacinto (top). Subsequently the US was able to build up large numbers of aircraft aboard a mixture of fleet, light and (newly commissioned) escort carriers, primarily with the introduction of the Essex class in 1943. These ships, around which were built the fast carrier task forces of the Third and Fifth Fleets, played a major part in winning the Pacific war. The eclipse of the battleship as the primary component of a fleet was clearly illustrated by the sinking of the largest battleship ever built, Yamato, by carrier-borne aircraft in 1945. Japan also built the largest aircraft carrier of the war, Shinano, which was a Yamato class ship converted mid-way through construction after the disastrous loss of four fleet carriers at Midway. She was sunk by a patrolling US submarine while in transit shortly after commissioning, but before being fully outfitted or operational in November 1944. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 721 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (740 × 615 pixel, file size: 116 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Naval Air Station, Alameda, California Four aircraft carriers representing four separate classes (Lexington, Yorktown, Essex, Independence) docked at the Air Stations piers...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 721 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (740 × 615 pixel, file size: 116 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Naval Air Station, Alameda, California Four aircraft carriers representing four separate classes (Lexington, Yorktown, Essex, Independence) docked at the Air Stations piers...
The fifth USS Saratoga (CV-3) was the second aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. ...
USS Enterprise (CV-6) was the sixth aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the seventh US Navy ship of that name. ...
Essex was a class of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy, which constituted the 20th centurys most numerous class of heavy warships, with 24 ships built. ...
// The eighth USS Hornet (CV/CVA/CVS-12) was originally named USS Kearsarge, but renamed in honor of the CV-8, which was lost in October of 1942. ...
The second USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) of the United States Navy was an Independence-class light aircraft carrier. ...
Essex was a class of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy, which constituted the 20th centurys most numerous class of heavy warships, with 24 ships built. ...
In the United States Navy, the 3rd Fleet is the fleet responsible for naval activities in the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean. ...
The 5th Fleet of the United States Navy is the commander of the naval force in the Persian Gulf area. ...
For other uses, see Pacific War (disambiguation). ...
Yamato (大和), named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ...
Shinano (Japanese:信濃) was an aircraft carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II. It was laid down as the third of five projected Yamato-class superbattleships. ...
[edit] Important innovations just before and during World War II
 Japanese carrier Taihō had a hurricane bow. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x351, 93 KB) Description: Japanese Aircraft Carrier HIJMS Taiho Source: [1] Licence: see Disclaimer Public Domain File links The following pages link to this file: Aircraft carrier Japanese aircraft carrier Taiho ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x351, 93 KB) Description: Japanese Aircraft Carrier HIJMS Taiho Source: [1] Licence: see Disclaimer Public Domain File links The following pages link to this file: Aircraft carrier Japanese aircraft carrier Taiho ...
TaihÅ ) was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. TaihÅ means Great Phoenix. Built by Kawasaki, she was laid down on 10 July 1941 and launched almost two years later, on 7 April 1943, and was finally completed eleven months afterwards on 7 March 1944. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
The fifth USS Saratoga (CV-3) was the second aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. ...
[edit] Hurricane bow A hurricane bow is a completely enclosed hangar deck, first seen on the American Lexington class aircraft carriers which entered service in 1927. Combat experience proved it to be by far the most useful configuration for the bow of the ship among others that were tried; including second flying-off decks and an anti-aircraft battery (the latter was the most common American configuration during World War II). This feature would be re-incorporated into American carriers post-war. The Japanese carrier Taihō was the first of their ships to incorporate it. The Lexington class aircraft carriers were the first operational aircraft carriers in the United States Navy (USS Langley was a strictly developmental ship which only served for a short time as an active fleet unit before being converted to a seaplane tender AV-3). ...
TaihÅ ) was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. TaihÅ means Great Phoenix. Built by Kawasaki, she was laid down on 10 July 1941 and launched almost two years later, on 7 April 1943, and was finally completed eleven months afterwards on 7 March 1944. ...
[edit] Light aircraft carriers The loss of three major carriers in quick succession in the Pacific led the US Navy to develop the light carrier (CVL) from light cruiser hulls that had already been laid down. They were intended to provide additional fast carriers, as escort carriers did not have the requisite speed to keep up with the fleet carriers and their escorts. The actual U.S. Navy classification was small aircraft carrier (CVL), not light. Prior to July 1943, they were just classified as aircraft carriers (CV).[11] A light cruiser is a warship that is not so large and powerful as a regular (or heavy) cruiser, but still larger than ships like destroyers. ...
The British Royal Navy made a similar design which served both them and Commonwealth countries after World War II. One of these carriers, India's INS Viraat, formerly HMS Hermes, is still being used. The Commonwealth of Nations as of 2007 Headquarters Marlborough House, London, UK Official languages English Membership 53 sovereign states Leaders - Queen Elizabeth II - Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma Appointed 24 November 2007 Establishment - Balfour Declaration 18 November 1926 - Statute of Westminster 11 December 1931 - London Declaration 28 April 1949 Area - Total...
INS Viraat (Sanskrit: विराट) (R22) is a Centaur-class aircraft carrier currently in service with the Indian Navy. ...
The second HMS Hermes (R12) was a Centaur-class aircraft carrier, the last of the postwar conventional aircraft carriers commissioned into the Royal Navy. ...
[edit] Escort carriers and merchant aircraft carriers To protect Atlantic convoys, the British developed what they called Merchant Aircraft Carriers, which were merchant ships equipped with a flat deck for half a dozen aircraft. These operated with civilian crews, under merchant colors, and carried their normal cargo besides providing air support for the convoy. As there was no lift or hangar, aircraft maintenance was limited and the aircraft spent the entire trip sitting on the deck. For other uses, see Convoy (disambiguation). ...
Merchant aircraft carriers (MAC) were minimal aircraft carriers used during World War II by Great Britain and Holland as an emergency measure until the United States-built escort carriers became available. ...
These served as stop-gap until dedicated escort carriers could be built in the US (US classification CVE). About a third of the size of
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