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. An aircraft carrier is a warship whose main role is to deploy and recover aircraft—in effect acting as a sea-going airbase. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as the largest and deadliest... U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... The Second Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous military campaign of World War II, running from 1939 right through to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, and was at its height from mid-1940 through to about the end of 1943. ...

World War II

The first escort carrier was HMS Audacity which was converted from a captured German merchant ship the MV Hannover and commissioned in July 1941. She was followed by Activity, Pretoria Castle, etc. Subsequently, Audacity became the model for later U.S. built escort carriers, the first example of which was the USS Long Island (AVG-1). Originally a German Banana boat named Hanover and captured by the Royal Navy during 1939/40, HMS Audacity was the very first escort carrier. ... The HMS Activity was an aircraft carrier which served with the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom during World War II. Description Displacement: 11,800 tons Speed: 18 knots Aircraft: 15 Armament: 4 x 4 inch dual-purpose guns Shell weight: 35 pounds Range: 19,000 yards Ceiling: 39,000... The second USS Long Island (CVE-1) (originally AVG-1 and then ACV-1) was the first escort aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. ...

In US service, they were initially referred to as auxiliary aircraft escort vessels and then auxiliary aircraft carrier before the Navy settled on escort aircraft carrier. They were informally known as Jeep carriers and baby flat tops. Escort carriers were given the US Navy hull classification symbol CVE — this was said by their crews to stand for Combustible, Vulnerable, and Expendable. The United States Navy uses hull classification symbols (sometimes called hull codes) to identify the types of its ships. ...

Escort carriers were typically around 500 ft (150 m) long, not much more than half the length of the almost 900 ft (300 m) fleet carriers of the same era, but actually less than one-third of the size: a typical escort carrier displaced about 8,000 tons, as compared to almost 30,000 tons for a full-size fleet carrier. They had a single hydraulic catapult instead of the 2 present on medium and large carriers, but the system of tail hook and arresting cable was the same. The aircraft hangar ran only a third of the way under the flight deck and there was only one aircraft elevator. Procedures for launch and recovery were the same as on the big carriers. The islands of these ships were small and cramped, located well forward of the funnels (unlike on a normal-sized carrier where the funnels were integrated into the island). F/A-18 a split second after the red hold-back bar (on far left) has released and the catapult is hurling the aircract down the deck An aircraft catapult is a device used to launch aircraft from ships — in particular aircraft carriers — as a form of assisted take off. ... Hangars can be used to hold airplanes, airships and helicopters. ...

The crew size was less than a third of that of a large carrier, but this was still a bigger complement than most naval vessels. It was large enough to justify the existence of facilities such as a permanent canteen or snack bar, called a gedunk bar, in addition to the mess. The bar was open at longer hours than the mess and sold several flavors of ice cream, along with cigarettes and other consumables. There were also several vending machines, which made a "gedunk" sound when operated. A Gedunk bar or geedunk bar is the cantine or snack bar of a large vessel of the United States Navy. ... Missing image Ice cream is often served on a stick Boxes of ice cream are often found in stores in a display freezer. ... A vending machine is a machine that dispenses merchandise when a customer deposits money, validated by a currency detector, sufficient to purchase the desired item (as opposed to a shop, where the presence of personnel is required for every purchase). ...

They were developed at the behest of the United Kingdom to operate as part of a North Atlantic convoy escort rather than as part of a naval strike force. Many of the escort carriers produced were assigned to the Royal Navy for the duration of the war under the Lend-lease act. They supplemented and then replaced the converted merchant aircraft carriers which were put into service by the British and Dutch as an emergency measure until the escort carriers became available. They were used by the Royal Navy, to hunt submarines, for the interception of long range enemy aircraft, for patrols and scouting, and to ferry aircraft. For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... A convoy is a group of vehicles or ships traveling together for mutual support. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... The Lend-Lease program was a program of the United States during World War II that allowed the United States to provide the Allied Powers with war material without becoming directly involved in the war. ... 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. ...

The ships sent to the Royal Navy were slightly modified, partly to suit the traditions of that service. Among other things the ice cream making machines were removed, since they were considered unnecessary luxuries on ships which served grog and other alcoholic beverages. The heavy duty washing machines of the laundry room were also removed since "all a British sailor needs to keep clean is a bucket and a bar of soap" (quoted from Warrilow). Grog issue on board the HMS Endymion; circa 1905 Rum measure reputed to be from Trafalgar Black Tot Day, on board the HMS Phoebe; 31 July, 1970 For the fictional alien species the Grog (or sessile grog), from Larry Nivens Known Space universe, see Thrintun and Tnuctipun. ... Alcoholic beverages are drinks containing ethanol, popularly called alcohol. ... Front-loading washing machine. ... A black and white photograph of a bucket of unknown color. ... SOAP is a protocol for exchanging XML-based messages over a computer network, normally using HTTP. SOAP forms the foundation layer of the web services stack, providing a basic messaging framework that more abstract layers can build on. ...

Other modifications were due to the need for an enclosed hangar when operating in the North Atlantic and in support of the Arctic convoys. For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... The Arctic convoys of World War II travelled from the USA and the United Kingdom to the northern ports of the USSR - Archangel and Murmansk. ...

Over 100 escort carriers were launched or converted during the war. Of these, six (HMS Nairana, HMS Campania, HMS Activity, HMS Pretoria Castle, HMS Vindex, and HMS Audacity) were British conversions of merchant ships, the rest being new construction in the USA (the first US escort carriers were conversion of unfinished merchant vessels). See list of escort aircraft carriers of the United States Navy for a complete list of U.S. escort aircraft carriers. There were two ships of the name HMS Campania, named after the region Campania in Italy. ... The HMS Activity was an aircraft carrier which served with the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom during World War II. Description Displacement: 11,800 tons Speed: 18 knots Aircraft: 15 Armament: 4 x 4 inch dual-purpose guns Shell weight: 35 pounds Range: 19,000 yards Ceiling: 39,000... Originally a German Banana boat named Hanover and captured by the Royal Navy during 1939/40, HMS Audacity was the very first escort carrier. ... This is a list of escort aircraft carriers of the United States Navy. ...

Perhaps the finest moment for the escort carriers was the Battle of Leyte Gulf's Battle off Samar, where three escort carrier groups fended off the battleships of the Japanese Combined Fleet, allowing General Douglas MacArthur's Army to complete the liberation of Leyte. The hero of the battle was Clifton Sprague. Combatants United States, Australia Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr Jisaburo Ozawa Strength 17 aircraft carriers 18 escort carriers 12 battleships 24 cruisers 141 destroyers Many other ships, PT boats, and submarines About 1,500 planes 4 aircraft carriers 9 battleships 19 cruisers 34 destroyers About 200 planes Casualties 3,500... Combatants United States, Australia Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr Jisaburo Ozawa Strength 17 aircraft carriers 18 escort carriers 12 battleships 24 cruisers 141 destroyers Many other ships, PT boats, and submarines About 1,500 planes 4 aircraft carriers 9 battleships 19 cruisers 34 destroyers About 200 planes Casualties 3,500... This article is about a battleship as a type of warship. ... The Combined Fleet (連合艦隊 Rengo Kantai) was the name of the Japanese Navy, until World War II. See also: Military History of Japan Categories: Military stubs | Fleets | Imperial Japanese Navy ... General Douglas MacArthur aboard a battleship toward the end of World War II, 1945 Douglas MacArthur (January 26, 1880 — April 5, 1964) was an American military leader who was instrumental in defeating the Japanese in World War II. He helped rebuild Japan after the war and played a key role... Leyte (pronounced LAY-teh or LAY-tee) is an island in the Visayas group of the Philippines. ... Vice Admiral Clifton A. F. (Ziggy) Sprague (1896-1955) was a World War II-era officer in the U.S. Navy. ...

One of these escort carriers, the USS Guadalcanal, was instrumental in the capture of the German submarine (U-boat) U-505 off North Africa in 1944. The Guadalcanal, and her task force, was commanded by Captain (later Admiral) Daniel V. Gallery. In 1955 the U-505 was moved to Chicago, restored, and made a permanent exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... Unterseeboot 505 was a Type IXC U-boat of the Kriegsmarine, captured by the United States Navy in 1944, and presently a museum ship in Chicago, Illinois. ... Daniel Vincent Gallery (1901–1977) was a captain in the United States Navy who fought in the Second Battle of the Atlantic during World War II. His most notable achievement was the capture of the German submarine, U-505, on June 4, 1944. ...

Escort carrier tactics when escorting convoys

There is a choice when operating escort carriers about where the ship operates with respect to the convoy. A convoy is a group of vehicles or ships traveling together for mutual support. ...

• It can be within the convoy, which gives it the protection of the convoy's own escort but brings the problem of space to turn into the wind to operate aircraft.
• Or it can be near the convoy which eliminates the operating space problem but loses the advantage of the convoy escort (forcing the carrier to have its own escort). It also brings the problem of the carrier being easily spotted by forces attacking the convoy and perhaps presenting them with a juicy (and possibly easy) target.
• Or it can be some way off from the convoy. While this adds the problem of the time needed for aircraft to travel to the convoy this is a fairly minor problem compared with the matter of being spotted by forces attacking the convoy.

HMS Audacity was sunk while operating in the second position, the one that was later banned by the Admiralty as too risky. Old Admiralty House, Whitehall, London, Thomas Ripley, architect, 1723-26, was not admired by his contemporaries and earned him some scathing couplets from Alexander Pope The Admiralty was historically the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ...

Post World War II

Following the war, this class of ship was retired, primarily because as the navies were reduced in size it was better to keep the larger and more useful fleet carriers in preference to them.

Just about every important class of ship or patrol boat from World War II can be found in a museum or in a port, somewhere in the United States, except for the escort carrier and the light carrier. There are no survivors from either type of ship: all were destroyed during the war or broken up in the decades following it. The last escort carrier, USS Gilbert Islands (CVE-107) was broken up for scrap starting in 1976. USS Gilbert Islands (CVE-107) was launched 20 July 1944 the Todd-Pacific Shipyards, Inc. ...

See also

• CAM ship
• Merchant aircraft carrier

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. ...

References

• Galuppini, Gino. Le guide des porte-avions. Paris: Fernand Nathan, 1981
• Poolman, Kenneth. Escort carrier 1941-1945: An account of British Escort Carriers in Trade Protection. London: Ian Allan, 1972
• Warrilow, Betty. Nabob, the first Canadian-manned aircraft carrier. Owen Sound, Ont. : Escort Carriers Association, 1989.
• Gallery, Daniel V. 20 Million Tons Under The Sea. Ballentine, 1965.