During World War II, the United States had an advantage over its opponents because it built aircraft carriers so large that they were able to hold and fly many different types of aircraft into battle. The ability to launch various types of aircraft from a single location made it easier for the military to use them in war.
The ability to launch various types of aircraft from a single location made it easier for the military to use them in war.
The aircraft carrier was a tremendous leap forward in the world of naval warfare. Because it is mobile, an aircraft carrier can deploy its airplanes to wherever they are needed most—an important advantage in combat. Aircraft carriers also allow for the use of multiple types of aircraft, and being able to store and maintain all those aircraft on a single platform is another advantage for a military force.
The first US Navy aircraft carrier was commissioned in 1922. The USS Langley (CV-1) was built from the hull of a collier, or coal transport ship, and launched in 1912. It had been decommissioned for years before conversion to a carrier began. Weighing in at 16,000 tons and measuring 642 feet long, it could carry 36 combat planes as well as 21 reconnaissance planes, 8 torpedo bombers, 3 gunnery trainers, and 4 utility aircraft.
This ship was capable of carrying thirty-six combat planes, twenty-one reconnaissance planes, eight torpedo bombers, three gunnery trainers, and four utility aircraft for maintenance purposes.
The USS Langley (CV-1) was named after Samuel Pierpont Langley, an American astronomer, physicist, and aeronautics pioneer who had studied under Benjamin Peirce at Harvard.*
From 1922 to 1941, the navy built eleven more carriers similar in size and shape to Langley’s design.
The U.S. Navy was clearly onto something with USS Langley, so they decided to build others like it. They would be powered by new steam turbine engines, rather than the coal-fired power plants of the previous generation. Starting in 1922 and continuing through 1941, the Navy built eleven more carriers: Lexington (CV-2), Saratoga (CV-3), Ranger (CV-4), Yorktown (CV-5), and Enterprise (CV-6) were all in service before World War II began in 1939; Wasp (CV-7) also participated in the war, operating as a support ship for Atlantic convoys until she was sunk by a Japanese submarine on September 15th, 1942.
Even though these ships were larger, faster, and more powerful than their predecessors, some aspects of their design were still much less advanced than modern carriers: since there was no way to launch planes from below deck to save space, the flight decks had to be stacked on top of one another instead of being arranged side by side like they are today. This meant that aircraft could not take off or land at the same time; instead, one deck would have to move over another while operations were underway — a very dangerous maneuver! Ships like Langley couldn’t carry as many planes either because they lacked enough hangar space under their decks for storage purposes only which prevented them from using this type of arrangement due to structural integrity concerns resulting from having multiple decks stacked above each other rather than next door as is seen today.
Most of them served through WWII with distinction and some are still in service today as training ships or museums.
The USS Langley was decommissioned in 1936, the USS Saratoga in 1946, and the USS Lexington in 1991. The latter is currently preserved as a museum ship in Corpus Christi, Texas. Of these three ships, the USS Yorktown was the most famous. She took part in combat operations in every major naval campaign of WWII. At the Battle of Midway, she sank despite heroic efforts to save her by her crew and sister ships.
Of the four new Essex-class aircraft carriers commissioned during WWII (the other two were never completed), only two are still in service today: The USS Enterprise and the USS Independence. It is worth noting that when they were first launched, their names were spelled “Enterprize” and “Independance” respectively; both had their names changed shortly thereafter for consistency with USN naming conventions for carriers that didn’t have any historical significance (for example, CV-6 was named Enterprise because it was a continuation of a long line of ships bearing this name).
The USS Independence (CVL-22) was an Independence-class light aircraft carrier in the US Navy. Commissioned on August 31st, 1942, the ship served through World War II and was decommissioned on March 10th, 1947. The USS Enterprise (CVN-65) was the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier commissioned by the US Navy on November 25th, 1961, serving until she was decommissioned on December 1st, 2012. The USS George H W Bush (CVN 77), commissioned on January 10th, 2009, is a Nimitz-class supercarrier serving in the US Navy today.
By 1944, the US had built 11 of the largest warships ever constructed, known as supercarriers. As one of its primary naval vessels, the US was able to launch a massive aerial assault on Japanese bases in the Pacific. By 1945, these carriers were instrumental in bringing an end to World War II by enabling a long-range bombing campaign that destroyed Japan’s military infrastructure.
Throughout the course of naval history, there has been a variety of aircraft carriers. With changing technological needs and improving transportation methods, aircraft carriers have evolved over time to suit different eras. One thing is for certain: all aircraft carriers are massive ships that can hold large numbers of aircraft and launch them for battle.
