The first aircraft carriers to exist were converted cruisers with their
superstructures removed and wooden decks fitted. The first landing on one of these ships was made by
British flier Eugene Ely in 1911. Britain has always been the leading innovator in aircraft carrier design and
the first purpose built carrier, the Argus was built there.
Britain had three true aircraft carriers operating as
early as 1921. British engineers invented the angled flight deck, the steam catapult and the landing systems in use aboard American aircraft carriers to this
day.
The first American aircraft carrier was the Langley, with a five hundred foot flight deck and weighing 20,000 metric tons.
In the beginning, aircraft carriers were seen as nothing more than useful scouting platforms for the battleships that were the leading warships of the day.
It was World War II that showed that carriers were far more important as naval
weapons. The range of the guns on battle ships was, arguably, 23 miles but a
carrier's aircraft could strike enemy forces 350 miles away. The days of the great battleships as the premier
floating force were over and they have, ultimately, become useful only as gunfire support
ships.
Aircraft carriers are a powerful and flexible part of a nation's defense.
The arrival of one of these behemoths at a trouble spot acts as a visible
deterrent to enemy aggression. Because they operate in the oceans of the
world, there is no need for consultation about where the carriers can go, or what
they can be used for, as most of the area of the oceans is considered international water and not
part of any one country.
This freedom of movement allows carriers to move from one trouble spot to another with
ease. Aircraft carriers operate with a number of other ships and the flotilla is called a
Carrier Battle Group.
Since the end of the second World War, aircraft carriers have been at the forefront
of several conflicts, including the Korean war, the Vietnam war and the Persian Gulf
war.
America now operates 24 aircraft carriers, 12 of which are nuclear powered
and has not built an oil-driven carrier since 1968. These nuclear powered carriers are Nimitz class
- 83,000 metric tons, 335 metres (1100feet) long, with an arsenal of 86 aircraft
including fixed-wing; swing-wing; helicopters; anti-submarine aircraft and rescue
aircraft.
Nimitz class carriers have four anti-aircraft weapons installations
and a crew of six thousand men and women. The engines that power these ships develop
the 280,000 horse power that drives them at up to 35 knots. Four steam catapults are fitted, each 90 metres (300
feet) long. These can accelerate a plane from standstill to 150 miles per hour in three
seconds.
At a cost of US$4 billion, and a five year build time, very few nations can afford this kind of defense. When the last Nimitz is completed, in 2006, America plans to build a new class of low-maintenance, mostly computer/automated, less crew-intensive, aircraft carrier.
This new class will have less dependence on support ships, using in-built defense systems that are said to resemble weapons
to be found only in science fiction books. To many people, seeing one of
the existing aircraft carriers is like observing a
floating citadel straight out of fantasy.
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