Figure 1.--

The British Royal Navy invented the aircraft carrier as a realistic naval weapon in the closing months of World War I. A major problem the British face, like navies in time immerorial, was finding the enemy fleet. The HMS Furious was launched with a a reconnisance mission (March 1918). It was a converted cruiser. Planes had no trouble taking off. It took some time, however, to develop landing techniques like arrestor wires. Other navies followed the Briotish lead after the War. A contributing factor was the Washington Naval Treaties (1921) which plced limits on capital ships (battleships). Conversion to carriers was a way of saving ships that otherwise would have to be scrapped. Naval warfare changed fundamentally during World War II. Even after the War began, the battle ship was seen as the capital naval vessel. Admirals foresaw fleet actions with big-gun battlehips. Carriers were seen a fulfilling scout and reconiance duties. The Btitish carrier attack on Totanto attracted some attention (November 1940). The sinking of the massive Bismarck also atracted attetion (March 1941). But it was Pearl Harbor that fundamentally changed naval warfare. Within minutes after thie commencement of the Japanese carrier the naval concepts were alterd forwever. Some naval visionaries like Yamaoto and Halsey had seen this change coming, but the naval establishments until Pearl Harbor had seen big-gun battleships as the backbone of a naval force and the ships that would settle major fleet engagements. The Japanese carrier attack on Pearl Harbor changes this concept in 2 hours by sinking or destroying the eight battleships of the American Pacific Fleet (December 1941). There were still American admirals who wanted a battleship fleet action, but as the American batteships rested on the bottom of Pearl Harbor, Admiral Nimitz's only option was to base a war plan around the Pacific Fleet's three carriers. The Pacific War, the largest naval conflict in history, would be dominated by the carriers and their air compliments. The Americans and Japanese in the Pacific had both planned war winning fleet action, all based primarily on their big-gun battleships. Both countries developed fleet air arms, but it was widely believed that the expected fleet action would be decided by battleships. The importance of carriers was not fully understood before the outbreak of the Pacific War. Virtually instantaneously, the Pacific War became a carrier war. The United States Navy, even the big gun battleship devotees, had no option, but to base naval operations on the Pacific fleet carriers which survived the attack. The United States Pacific fleet with its battleships sunk, had to adopt a brand new strategy relying on the carriers that avoided the Pearl Harbor attack. And the success of the attack convinced the Japanese that the carrier had become the new capital ships. Four of the Japanese carriers executing the Pearl Harbor attack were sunk at Midway. The American carrier Enterprise was involved in the Midway victory and the major Pacific campaigns. It was, however, the arrival of the Essex-class carriers that fundamenally altered the naval balance (1943).

World War I

The British Royal Navy invented the aircraft carrier as a realistic naval weapon in the closing months of World War I. A major problem the British face, like navies in time immerorial, was finding the enemy fleet. The HMS Furious was launched with a a reconnisance mission (March 1918). It was a converted cruiser. Planes had no trouble taking off. It took some time, however, to develop landing techniques like arrestor wires.

Inter-war Era

Other navies followed the British lead after the War. A contributing factor was the Washington Naval Treaties (1921) which plced limits on capital ships (battleships). Conversion to carriers was a way of saving ships that otherwise would have to be scrapped.

First 2 Years (1939-41)

Naval warfare changed fundamentally during World War II. Even after the War began, the battle ship was seen as the capital naval vessel. Admirals foresaw fleet actions with big-gun battlehips. Carriers were seen a fulfilling scout and reconiance duties. The Btitish carrier attack on Totanto attracted some attention (November 1940). The sinking of the massive Bismarck also atracted attetion (March 1941).

Pearl Harbor (December 1941)

But it was Pearl Harbor that fundamentally changed naval warfare. Within minutes after thie commencement of the Japanese carrier the naval concepts were alterd forwever. Some naval visionaries like Yamaoto and Halsey had seen this change coming, but the naval establishments until Pearl Harbor had seen big-gun battleships as the backbone of a naval force and the ships that would settle major fleet engagements. The Japanese carrier attack on Pearl Harbor changes this concept in 2 hours by sinking or destroying the eight battleships of the American Pacific Fleet (December 1941). There were still American admirals who who wanted a battleship fleet action, but as he American batteships rsted on the bottom of Pearl Harbor, Admiral Nimitz's only option was to base a war plan around the Pacific Fleet's three carriers. The Pacific War, the largest naval conflict in history, would be dominated by the carriers and their air compliments.

Theaters

The Americans and Japanese in the Pacific had both planned war winning fleet action, all based primarily on their big-gun battleships. Both countries developed fleet air arms, but it was widely believed that the expected fleet action would be decided by battleships. The importance of carriers was not fully understood before the outbreak of the Pacific War. Virtually instantaneously, the Pacific War became a carrier war. The United States Navy, even the big gun battleship devotees, had no option, but to base naval operations on the Pacific fleet carriers which survived the attack. The United States Pacific fleet with its battleships sunk, had to adopt a brand new strategy relying on the carriers that avoided the Pearl Harbor attack. And the success of the attack convinced the Japanese that the carrier had become the new capital ships. Four of the Japanese carriers executing the Pearl Harbor attack were sunk at Midway. The American carrier Enterprise was involved in the Midway victory and the major Pacific campaigns. It was, however, the arrival of the Essex-class carriers that fundamenally altered the naval balance (1943).

Carrier Types

Carrier Aircraft

Britain

Royal Navy carriers were known as the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). Therewas some experimetatin with naval viation during World War I. The end of the War, thr Royal Naval Air Service was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps (1918). The FAA was formaly constituted (1924). At first it was a unit of the Royal Air Force which was then operating all aircraft embarked on Royal Navy ships. The World War I. The FAA was not made part of the Royal Navy and direct control of the Admiralty until just before World War II. The British began the war ith seven carriers. Neither the Germas or the Italians hd carrier, althiygh the grmans wre woring on one. The FAA operated aircraft on ships as well as land-based aircraft that defended the Royal Navy's shore establishments and facilities. British carriers unlike American carrier had armoured flight decks. This made them more resistntto air attacks, but also more difficult to epair battle damage. The primary focus of the Royal Navy during World War II was on the Battle of the Atlantic to keep the sea lanes open with America in the North Atlantic. Land based aircrft played role in this. Fleet carriers were not the ideal ship type to fight the U-boats. The Royal Navy lost fleet carriers to U-boats before revising desort duty assignments. The answer proved to be small escort carriers. The RAF almost entered World War II with biplane fighters. he FAA did--the Fairey Swordfish which layed a role in the attack on Toranto ad the hunt for Bismarck. The first modern carrier airccraft received by the FAA was the American F4F Wildcat, called the Martlet by the British (1942). The Wildcat was obsolete the time the British received it, but the Bitish did not have to face advanced aircraft at sea. And the Wildcat was still effective in operations against German U-boats and surface units. Evetully the British got F4U Corsair and F6F Hellats. The British helped develop techniues that helped llowed Corsair operationd from carriers. The British carriers were primrily used in the Nrthtlantic and Mediterranen. They alsosaw service in the Indian Ocen and in the final months of the War after VE-Day in the Pacific.

France

France had one aircraft carrier during World War II--the Béarn. She was named after a historic French province. Béarn was commissioned (1927). The French Admiralty saw her as experimental ship to serve as the launch point for Fremch naval aviation. The Admiralty planned to replace her in the 1930s by two ships of the new Joffre class. This did not occur as French defense prioriteis changed with the rise of NAZI Germany and a focus on the Maginot line as well as the Depression which affected the defense budget. As a result, naval aviation did not advance in France. With the outbrek of war, what had been an experimental ship and as by the time largely obsolete, entered the War, but saw no notable action. Béarn's aircraft never flew a combat mission. After the fall of France (June 1940), Béarn was moved to Martinique in the West Indies, one of the options given by the British Royal Navy. But Martinique was controlled by a pro-Vichy local adminiytration--a matter of concern to both the British and Americans. She remained there, basically interned for the next 4 years that France was occupied by the Germans. With the Allied liberation of France (August 1944), the sitution changed. The new provisional French Government sent Béarn to an American shipyard for a refit which was completed (March 1945). She then served briefly as an aircraft transport, delivering planes to a revived French Air Force. She was finally scrapped (1967).

Germany

The German Kriegsmrine as part of Hitler's rearmament program had plans to build a huge fleet. It was the Z Plan and was designed to wage a naval war with Britain in the 1940s. Hitler assured Admiral Raeder that war wold not come for a decade and by that time Germany would have a fleet capable of taking on the RoyaL Navy, including massive battleships and carriers. The first German aircraft carrier was the Graf Zeppelin. She would, however, prove to be the only aircraft carrier launched by the Germans. It was to have a complement of 42 fighters and dive bombers--and not biplanes. Construction began when the keel was laid down at the Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel (1936) and the ship was launched 3 years later (1938). Prime-Minister Chamberlain's appeasement policy caused Hitler rather than choose pease to advance his schedule for war. This meant that the Kriegsmarine would not be ready for war when it came. Hiter chaged priorities an enphasis was given to the Heer and Luftwaffe in the run up to the War. At the time Hitler and Stalin launched the war (1939), the Graf Zeppelin was 85 perent complete. She was, however, never completed and the ship was never made operational. Not only were resources limited, but a single carrier with out a powerful component of escort craft would have ben a disaster. The unfinished ship remained in the Baltic during the War and was sculted by the Germans to keep it out of Russian hands (1945).

Japan

Japan in 1941 had a massive superority in carrier forces. The extent of this superiority and importance was before Pearl Harbor not fully appreciated by the U.S. navy, nor did many Japanese naval commanders fully appreciate it. The Japanese superiority was staggering. The Imperial Navy's was composed 10 aircraft carriers and 1,500 meticulously trained aviators. Japan not only possesed the most carriers, but the most effective carrier-based fighter (the Zero) and the best trained and most experienced pilots. The Imperial Navy, partly because of the Wasington Treaty limitations, had been a pioneer in naval aviation. The Imperial Navy built the first carrier designed yo be a carrier from keel-up, the Hosho. The Imperial Navy during the 1920s and 30s placed great emphasis on naval aviation. The fleet carrier arm was impressive. It consisted of six large carriers and several more light carriers, Akagi Class: Akagi (1927). Kaga Class: Kaga (1928). Ryujo Class: Ryujo (1931). Shokaku Class: Shokaku (1941) and Zuikaku (1941). Soryu Class: Soryu (1937) and Hiryu (1939). Taiyo Class: Taiyo (1941). The Japanese were not only numerically superior, but entirely unappreciated by the U,S. Navy was the competence of the Japanese aviators. The Japanese had a rigorous pilot training program which produced the most skilled naval aviators in the world who were equipped with the most effective fighter. At it would be the First Air Fleet with six carriers that would strike the American Pacific Fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor. Only by chance did the Japanese find the American carriers wee not at Pearl.

United States

The United Sttes Navy began experimentng with aviation during World War II. The first Amrcabn carrier ws theconverted Langly (1922). Two more carriers (Lexington and Saratoga were added during the 1920s. To counter the Japanes nval expasion, three more carries (Ranger, Yorktown, and Enteprise were added during the 1930s. Ranger was the first American pupose-built carrier. Two more carriers reached the fleet before Pearl Harbor (1940-41). The U.S. Navy had not yet worked out carrier battle doctrine. The Navy was still dominated by big-gun battleship thought. Carriers were seen as having a scouting and reconisance function. At the onset of the Pacific war, the Navy had eight carriers, but only seven feet carriers as the Langely was not suitable for fleet action. This was roughly equvialent to Japanese strength, but the American carriers were deployed in two oceans. More importantly, but not understood by the U.S. Navy leadership was the suerior capabilities of Japanese aircraft. Exceptionaly trained air crews and experience with fleet opertion were other imprtant Japanese advatages. The Japanese First Air Fleet's carrier attack on Pearl Harbor was a stunning blow (Deceber 1941). The heart of the Pacific Fleet was sunk (but not destroyed). By mere chance the Pacific Fleet carriers, Yamamoto's primary target, were not at Pearl. Admiral Nimitz had to design a war strategy with what was left of the Pacific Fleet which was three carriers and sunmarines with unreliable torpedoes. Nimitz had one advatage, tation Hypi codebreakers were beginning to crack into the Japnese Naval Codes (JN-25). This was vital because in carrier warfare, the force that gets in the first strike is likely to win. After Pearl, te Japanse First Air Fleet was used to support a series of invasions across the South Pacifiv and Southeast asia--seing the Southern Resouce Zone. This gave Nimitz time to build up and train his carrier force. The Doolittle Raid, however, comvinced Yamamoto that the American carriers had to be dealt with. Opertion MI was his battle plan. The resulting Battle of Midway led to the distruction of four Japanese fleet carriers. This fundmentally chnged the navl balance in the Pacific. It essentially bought the time Nimitz needed for new fleet elements and advnced aircraft to reach the fleet. The frst Essex class carrier reached Pearl (December 1942). And about the same time the new F6F Hellcat squados. This was the beginnng of the creation of a vast carrier force tha would drive the Japanese from the Pacific. In adition to the Essex-class carriers, esport cariers also began arriving in large numbers.

Created: 8:19 AM 6/9/2012
Last updated: 9:21 PM 6/25/2016