The First 33 Aircraft Carriers in US Navy history

Military

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Published: March 21, 2024 8:10 am

In the early part of the 20th century, the idea of an aircraft carrier was conceptualized by the French author, Clément Ader. He wrote in his book, L’Aviation Militaire, about a ship with a flat flight deck that would be capable of operating airplanes at sea. This theory was tested by Eugene Elyin in late 1910, when he launched from the naval cruiser turned makeshift carrier, the USS Birmingham. It wasn’t until 1911 that he successfully landed on a ship, the armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania.

However, it was the British Navy that introduced the world’s first true aircraft carrier in 1918, during World War I. The HMS Argus was built on a converted merchant ship hull and had an unobstructed, fully flat flight deck. The United States followed suit with the introduction of its converted collier ship, USS Langley, in 1920. Langley was instrumental in establishing the basic principles of carrier operations, although these floating cities wouldn’t enter service until 1927 with the USS Saratoga and the USS Lexington.

After the First World War, the development and production of aircraft carriers were put on hold with the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. Also known as the Five-Power Treaty, signed by the United States, France, Japan, the United Kindom, and Italy, it intended to prevent an arms race and limited the production of aircraft carriers, battleships, and battlecruisers. By the 1930s, Japan and Italy refused to sign amended treaties and Germany would no longer adhere to them, setting the stage for the Second World War.

Aircraft carriers have been integral components of the United States Navy and have only increased in importance and firepower over the years. Their distinct history demonstrates how the Navy has continually redefined nautical warfare since World War II, which is when the importance of these ships became evident.

In response to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the USS Enterprise played a pivotal role in the Pacific War as the most decorated ship in the U.S. Navy. The era also saw the introduction of the Essex-class carriers, which formed the backbone of the U.S. naval fleet in the Pacific. (See the most highly decorated U.S. Navy ships of WWII.)

Using archives from the U.S. Navy and other sources, 24/7 Wall St. listed all aircraft carriers in the Navy’s history, including when they were commissioned and how long they remained in service. Carriers are listed in order of hull classification symbols.

Here are the first 33 aircraft carriers in US Navy history.

1. CV-1 Langley

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

Class: Langley
Commissioned: March 20, 1922
Service Life: 19 years, 11 months, and seven days
Status: Scuttled and sunk south of Java

2. CV-2 Lexington

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

Class: Lexington
Commissioned: December 14, 1927
Service life: 14 years, 4 months, and 24 days
Status: Sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea

3. CV-3 Saratoga

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

Class: Lexington
Commissioned: November 16, 1927
Service life: 18 years, 8 months, and 12 days
Status: Sunk in nuclear test target near Bikini Atoll

4. CV-4 Ranger

Source: eli_dark / Flickr

Class: Ranger
Commissioned: June 4, 1934
Service life: 12 years, 4 months, and 14 days
Status: Scrapped in 1947

5. CV-5 Yorktown

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

Class: Yorktown
Commissioned: September 30, 1937
Service life: 4 years, 8 months, and 8 days
Status: Sunk in the Battle of Midway

6. CV-6 Enterprise

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

Class: Yorktown
Commissioned: May 12, 1938
Service life: 8 years, 9 months, and 5 days
Status: Scrapped in 1960

7. CV-7 Wasp

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Class: Wasp
Commissioned: April 25, 1940
Service life: 2 years, 4 months, and 21 days
Status: Sunk during the Guadalcanal campaign

8. CV-8 Hornet

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Class: Yorktown
Commissioned: October 20, 1941
Service life: 1 year and 6 days
Status: Sunk in the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands

9. CV-9 Essex

Source: eli_dark / Flickr

Class: Essex
Commissioned: December 31, 1942
Service life: 26 years, 5 months, and 20 days
Status: Scrapped in 1975

10. CV-10 Yorktown

Source: GabrielPevide / iStock via Getty Images

Class: Essex
Commissioned: April 15, 1943
Service life: 27 years, 2 months, and 12 days
Status: Preserved at the Patriot’s Point Naval & Maritime Museum–Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

11. CV-11 Intrepid

Source: prayitnophotography / Flickr

Class: Essex
Commissioned: August 16, 1943
Service life: 30 years, 6 months, and 27 days
Status: Preserved at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum–New York, New York