Aircraft Carriers
Aircraft carriers are the main striking power of the fleet. Nations who possess them are players on the world's stage, commanding global reach. The presence of Aircraft Carriers can shape and enforce policy, the most powerful symbol of gunboat diplomacy. Carriers dictate their nations resolve to countries that do not possess such weapons. Today the world has three navies that actively deploy carriers. They are Great Britain, France and, of course, the United States. These three nations have maintained an infrastructure to build the ships and aircraft and the resolve to continually train the aviators and crews that take these great ships to sea.
Russia wants to have the ability to be a player on the world's stage, and had a very good design for the Admiral Kuznetsov but lacks the wealth of the western powers to keep her active. Mother Russia's struggling economy has kept their single medium-sized carrier in port during most of the 1990s.China also wants a carrier but lacks the experience in design and operation. It take far more than the purchase a surplus flattop to shape world policy. It takes years to create an aviation corps.
The Japanese gave a textbook example of what can accomplished with a large carrier battlegroup. In the early days of WWII Japan's main strike group of six fleet carriers projected power at the point and time of their choosing annihilating everything in their way for the first six months of the Pacific War. The six-carrier group would only remain intact until the Doolittle Raid launched from the deck of USS Hornet shattered Japan's illusion of the invulnerability of the home islands. Four of the six carriers were decisively engaged and destroyed by the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the most pivotal battles in recorded history, the Battle of Midway. The Pacific sea battles showed the world that a new era in sea power had arrived. The aircraft carrier commands the ocean in a way never seen before in global history. With the power of the strike aircraft you can engage entire nations and bring them to their knees. The years of 1942-1943 saw the fiercest combat between opposing carrier battle groups. From 1943 onwards the Japanese were at a massive disadvantage from the growing American juggernaught. The "sleeping giant's" enormous industrial capacty had geared up just as Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto had feared. With the losses suffered at Midway, Guadalcanal and the great Marianas Turkey Shoot, Japan was doomed. Interestingly, the 1942 battles cost both sides most of their prewar carriers. Only the USS Saratoga (CV3), and the USS Enterprise (CV6) survived the end of hostilities. Total U.S. Carrier losses - click hereI'm not counting the USS Ranger (CV4) since she was deemed too slow for Pacific duty by the Navy and remained for the entire war in the Atlantic. (The only U.S. carrier to do so.)
Boasting a combat record as distinguished as that of her legendary predecessor, the 44 gun frigate USS Constitution, the fleet carrier USS Enterprise had a combat record that is unlikely to ever be equaled and will be remembered as the greatest American warship of all time. It is a heinous offence against history that the "Big E" was broken up in 1959. Not in the past 55 years since WWII has a carrier battle group been decisively challenged.The hunt for USS Yorktown (CV-5) is successful!
Go to National Geographic Explorer Discovery website to check out "
The Battle for Midway."
nationalgeographic.com Or click here from the
U.S. Navy web site on Midway.
USS Enterprise (CVN-65) Bearer of the greatest name in American Naval History. In port Norfolk NOB 1990 , Island superstructure 800 X 518 pixels 50K
USS John F. Kennedy (CV67) and Canadian Frigates in port Norfolk. photo by my excellent friend C.L. Hart 439 X 368 pixels
USS George Washington (CVN73) underway Atlantic.576 X 409 pixels
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN69) In port Norfolk Va. photo by N.T. Miller - Great desktop image 1280 X 1024 pixelsUSS John C. Stennis (CVN74) NAS North Island, CA. by PH2 N. T. Miller B&W photo
USS Constellation (CV64) NAS North Island, CA. B&W photo by PH2 N. T. Miller
USS Carl Vinson (CVN70) NAS North Island, Ca. B&W photo by PH2 N.T. Miller -
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HMS Invincible (R05) in port Norfolk NOB. 800 X 544 pixels 40K. Click here to read more about the Royal Navys Carrier fleet.
HMS Invincible b&w photo of her bridge 800 X 580pixels 50k
HMS Invincible b&w photo at pier 7 Norfolk NOB 800 X 499 pixels 38k
HMS Invincible Pride and Firepower b&w photo 800 X 535 pixels 27k
USS Saratoga (CV3) - Under construction
USS Saratoga (CV-60) underway with her battlegroup 1987
USS Lexington (CV2) underway to Norfolk Naval ship yard. 669 X 476 pixels 72dpi 118K
USS Lexington (CV16) in port and decommissioned Pensacola Fl. 484 X 350 pixels 72dpi 30K
USS Lexington (CV16) tied up at Allegheny Pier, Pensacola NAS 800 X 538 pixels 72dpi 64K
USS Lexington (CV16) 800 X 599 pixels 54k.
USS Lexington's bow. B&W Scan from the decommissioning ceremony book. 1000 X 673 pixels 94K.
USS Lexington as she appears today, It was taken Jan. 15, 1995 at over her permanent berth in Corpus Christi, Texas, from orbit!
Courtesy, U.S. Geological Survey.
NA eL Minas Gerais - (A-11) Brazil's pride and joy. Ship was visting Lexington Plaza, Pensacola Fla. Spring 1996 to pick up a batch of helocopters bought from America. Brazil has replaced the ageing ex-British Colossus clas light carrier HMS Vengeance which was sold to Brizil in 1956, ** with the fomer French flattop Foch. The larger French ship is now equipted with twentytwo A-4M and TA-4M Skyhawks bought from Kuwait***. The new carrier is named for Brazil's largest city Sao Paulo. Its been reported in the press this year that Great Britian is trying aquire Minas Gerais for its own World War Two memoral. For a nation with such a proud history, its due time that the Royal Navy has a WWII Air craft carrier to commerate the sacrfice and honor of Royal Naval Avation air arm during WWII. 1195 X 646 pixels 88k.
NA eL Minas Gerais1200 X 789 pixels 76k.
NA eL Minas Gerais Note the S-2 Tracker on flight deck. 633 X 389 pixels 21K
Death of Aircraft Carrier USS Coral Sea ( CV-43) My brother Mark shot these photos on a 55mm lens on Pentax K100 on Sunday 17 April 1994. Her scraping took place at Seawitch Salvage L.C.C. at the Port of Baltimore, Md. CV43_1 CV43_2 CV43_3BACK to the Washington Navy Yard
** Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present. An Illustrated Encyclopedia by Roger Chesneau. Naval Institute press, Annaplois Maryland. 1992. ISBN: 087021-902-2. pg57
*** Air Forces Monthly : Carrier Air power, A global review, October 2000 issue 151, pg.40
Aircraft Carriers of World War 2 -
Last updated: Saturday 15 March 2003
