Figure 1.-- |
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The immediate problem for the U.S. Navy after World War I was to decommission naval vessels. The U.S. Navy like those of every other navy were convinced that the next naval war would be won by big-gun battle ships.
The Washington Naval Treaties did not limiit aircraft carriers like battleships. Naval commanders continued to see battleships s the Navy's principal strike force. Even so, the Navy despite severe bugetary contraints did create a significant carrier arm in the inter-war period. The Navy also created an important submarine force. Both the carriers and submarines were considered support arms of a fleet centered on battleships. They would prove to be the two most important striking forces of the fleet in the upcoming war.
Military planners were unsure how to use aircraft before World War I and naval aviation was even more primitive. American aviators worked on taking off and landing on naval ships (1910-11). World War broke out when the airplne was still in its infancy (1914). Naval planners saw the utlity of aircraft fo scouting. The first true carrier was the HMS Argus (1918). America entered the War (1917) and American ships served with the Royal Navy in the Atlantic. American naval planners quickly saw the potentual of naval aviation. The first American carrier was a converted vessel--the CV1-Langley (1922). It was slow and unable to match that of the battle fleet. Many of the modern carrier techniques and launching procedures were developed on the Langley. The next two American carriers were the CV2-Lexington and CV3-Saratoga. They were based on the hulls of battle cruisers which because of the Washingtn Naval Treaties were not built. They were huge closed-hanger carriers which could carry 80 planes. And the Lexingtons had the spped to keep up with the fleet. They joined the fleet in 1928 and began to work out carrier tactics during the annual Fleet Problem (war games). American naval planners were not yet sure about the importance and most effective design of carriers. Some planners argued that smaller carriers would be more effective. So the next carrier was the small CV4-Ranger in 1934. It was the first purpose-built carrier, but its small size limited its effectiveness. It soon became obvious that larger carriers were more effective. The next two carriers, CV5-Yorktown and CV6-Enterprise (1937 and 38). These were larger open-hanger carriers. Both would play key roles in the Pacific War. CV8-Hornet followed 3 years later (1941). The Yorktowns were based on the design of the Ranger, but larger. The Washington Naval Conference limited the United States to 135,000 tons. The American carriers totaled only 120,000 tons. This provided the margin for building a sixth carrier, albeit a small one--CV7-Wasp (1940). It carried a substantial air group, but was slow.
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