An aircraft carrier is a large naval vessel that serves as a floating airbase, featuring a full-length flight deck equipped with systems that aid aircraft take-off and landing. Some also contain equipment for aircraft storage, maintenance, and recovery. Modern aircraft carriers are vast, supporting thousands of personnel, including sailors, aircrew, and engineers, and can remain at sea for extended periods. They are typically the lead ship in a Carrier Task Group, symbolizing a nation's maritime power.
The role of aircraft carriers has evolved over time, and they are considered essential tools of both military and diplomatic power. Their mobility allows them to operate in international waters, avoiding territorial sovereignty issues. Additionally, aircraft carriers overcome limitations of fuel and distance for aircraft, providing a base for a wide range of combat aircraft.
The history of the aircraft carrier dates back before the advent of powered flight. Early vessels were used to deploy airships and balloons. However, aircraft carriers as we know them today emerged following the Wright Brothers' first successful flight on 17th December 1903. By 14th November 1910, American aviator Eugene Ely made the first experimental take-off from a ship's deck, the USS Birmingham, using a wooden platform. Ely’s plane, a Curtis Pusher, barely cleared the 83-foot runway but landed safely on a beach after a rough take-off.
Two months later, Ely performed the first successful landing on a ship, on 18th January 1911, aboard the USS Pennsylvania in San Francisco Bay. This landing involved an arrester hook system, which would become a standard feature on aircraft carriers. Several successful and unsuccessful take-offs and landings followed, with the first take-off from a moving ship occurring on 9th May 1912, when Commander Charles Samson flew his Short S.27 off the HMS Hibernia, a battleship.
The first successful landing on a moving ship occurred five years later, on 2nd August 1917, when Squadron Commander Edwin Harris Dunning landed his Sopwith Pup on the Armstrong-Whitworth built HMS Furious. This historic event marked the real birth of the aircraft carrier. Unfortunately, Dunning died during a subsequent landing when his aircraft crashed after a tire burst. This highlighted the inadequacies of the landing arrangements on HMS Furious, which led to a refit that included an added 300-foot aircraft deck and a hangar for better aircraft storage and launch operations.
The first operational air raid launched from a ship took place on 6th September 1914, when the Imperial Japanese Navy’s ship Wakamiya launched an aircraft to attack the Austro-Hungarian cruiser SMS Kaiserin Elisabeth. However, the attack was unsuccessful, and neither ship was hit. In 1915, Flight Commander Charles H.K. Edmonds launched a torpedo attack from a Short Type 184 seaplane on HMS Ben-my-Chree, a converted steamer, marking one of the early uses of aircraft in naval warfare. Additionally, the Royal Navy converted several vessels into aircraft carriers during the First World War to support operations in conflict zones.
In 1918, seven Sopwith Camels were launched from the newly converted HMS Furious, conducting a successful strike on the German airbase at Tondern, including the destruction of two Zeppelin airships. 1918 also saw HMS Argus (a converted ocean-going liner) become the first aircraft carrier with a full-length flight deck that allowed wheeled aircraft to take off and land.
The world’s first purpose-built aircraft carrier followed in 1919, when HMS Hermes, built by Sir W. G. Armstrong-Whitworth and Co, was launched at the Walker Shipyard on Tyneside in 1919. However, subsequent delays to her fitting out meant that the accolade for the first completed purpose built aircraft carrier went to the carrier Hōshō of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 limited the construction of large naval ships to prevent an arms race, which led to the conversion of existing ships like HMS Courageous, HMS Glorious, and HMS Furious into aircraft carriers. During the Second World War, the role of aircraft carriers in naval combat became crucial, as air power emerged as a dominant force. The advances in aircraft carrier design and construction were evident with the launch of HMS Illustrious on 5th April 1939. Her effectiveness was shown in November 1940, when she launched a long-range strike on the Italian fleet at their base in Taranto, incapacitating three of the six battleships. The Royal Navy operated 10 major aircraft carriers alongside numerous Escort, Light and Merchant carriers during the Second World War – the most famous of which included HMS Ark Royal, HMS Courageous, HMS Formidable, HMS Furious, HMS Glorious, HMS Illustrious, HMS Implacable, HMS Indefatigable, HMS Indomitable and HMS Victorious.
The post-war period saw a decline in carrier production, but aircraft carriers continued to evolve with the introduction of the angled flight deck to accommodate larger aircraft. In the 1950s, the first "supercarriers" emerged, and jet aircraft replaced propeller-driven planes. One milestone was the successful landing and take-off of jet aircraft on carriers, with Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown achieving this feat in on 3rd December1945 in his de Havilland DH.100 Sea Vampire which successfully landed and took off from HMS Ocean.
The introduction of vertical take-off and landing (V/STOL) aircraft, such as the BAe Sea Harrier, revolutionized carrier aviation in the late 1970s. The Sea Harrier first debuted on the deck of HMS Invincible, which had a ski-jump ramp designed to assist in the take-off of short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft. The ski-jump ramp was not new, however, having been used earlier in 1944 on HMS Furious to assist in the launch of Fairey Barracudas against the German battleship Tirpitz.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the US Navy began to introduce nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, using nuclear reactors to provide propulsion, generate power, and operate launch and recovery systems. This innovation allowed for extended periods of operation at sea and greater speed. The US Navy's Nimitz-class carriers, for example, became the backbone of the US fleet, with the ability to carry larger aircraft and maintain a sustained operational presence.
The 21st century saw the design and construction of two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy. HMS Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship HMS Prince of Wales, built by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (a partnership of BAE Systems, Babcock International, Thales Group and the Ministry of Defence), were launched in 2017 and 2019 respectively, and form the main constituents of the UK Carrier Strike Group.
Looking ahead, the future of aircraft carriers is likely to see further advancements in technology, including the development of advanced control systems, renewable propulsion methods, and the use of composite materials. New hull designs and integrated systems will continue to redefine the role of aircraft carriers, making them a vital element of naval forces worldwide. The importance of the aircraft carrier as an "airbase at sea" will only increase as new innovations push the boundaries of naval aviation.