The World’s Great Aircraft Carriers

Originally developed during World War I to fulfil scouting duties for the battle fleet, the aircraft carrier became the decisive naval arm in World War II and transformed naval warfare. The World’s Great Aircraft Carriers is a highly illustrated record of the development of the aircraft carrier from the first successful flight from a ship’s deck in 1911 to the nuclear-powered super carriers of the present. With the aid of 40 full-colour artworks and 80 colour and black-and-white photographs, The World’s Great Aircraft Carriers explains the technology and tactics of carrier warfare.

It was in World War II that the aircraft carrier replaced the battleship as the primary naval weapon, and so The World’s Great Aircraft Carriers lists all the great carriers and their actions which took place between 1939 and 1945, such as the attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1941, the Battle of Midway in May 1942, and the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the ‘Great Marianas Turkey Shoot’, in June 1944.

Moving on to the post-war era, The World’s Great Aircraft Carriers traces the development of the aircraft carrier in response to the introduction of the jet aircraft. This led to the development of the angled flight deck and a new kind of carrier, epitomised by ships such as the USS Midway and HMS Eagle. Finally, The World’s Great Aircraft Carriers includes the most up-to-date carriers, such as the massive American nuclear-powered ships of the Nimitz class and the Vertical/Short Take-off and Landing (V/STOL) ships of the smaller nations. Each of the full-colour artworks in the book is accompanied by full specifications listing displacement, dimensions, speed, aircraft complement, armament, and electronics.