Talk:Aircraft carrier

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[edit] First Designed Aircraft Carrier

How do you define the first designed aircraft carrier? HMS Ark Royal and HMS Furious were both partially built before being changed to aircraft carriers. HMS Argus was only laid down before being built as an aircraft carrier. HMS Hermes was designed and launched before Hosho was even conceived. The delay to Hermes was more to do with the Royal Navy wanting to cut spending that testing problems.

For my money HMS Argus was the first purpose built aircraft carrier although there is an argument for HMS Hermes. I think the senctence should be reworded as

The first ship to be designed specifically as an aircraft carrier was the HMS Hermes, launched in September 1919, although a 5 year delay in commissioning means that the Japanese Hosho was commissioned first.

CW 5 Oct 2005

The IJN Hosho was designed in 1918 (Taisho 7), more than a year before the HSM Hermes launch, and laid down in 1919, the year HSM Hermes was actually launched. Hosho was indeed the first purpose-designed aircraft carrier to be commissionned. PHG 00:43, 6 October 2005 (UTC)

This comes back to the definition of "built". Just because IJN Hosho was the first to have the shrink wrap taken off the steering wheel doesn't make her first. Searching the net I am having difficulty finding any page that states Hosho was the first. Some links that state HMS Hermes:

http://smmlonline.com/articles/hosho/hosho.html http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Ships/Hermes.html http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/ships/html/sh_044500_hmshermes.htm

CW 6 Oct 2005

"World War Two Warships" by D.J. Lyon (ISBN 0525700579) states: "The Japanese had acquired a great experience with aircraft carriers: the Hosho, their first unit, was laid down after the British HMS Hermes, but was completed before her, and thus became the first aircraft carrier to have been conceived as such." Doesn't sum it up rather well? Regards PHG 12:49, 6 October 2005 (UTC)
It sums up the authors opinion very well. Although, aside from the web links above, every book I have read on the subject states HMS Hermes as the first. As I say it comes down to your definition and as Hosho was effectively modelled on Hermes and Hermes was launched in 1919 then Hermes comes before Hosho.

At best this is a moot point but I would like to see a more realistic appraisal of the situation than the article currently states.

CW 6 Oct 2005

I think I have this book somewhere but I missed that contradiction. Anyway, I don't like absurd pissing-up-the wall contests - personally I think the article is pretty clear on the history of this development. Wiki-Ed 07:27, 7 October 2005 (UTC)

According to Haze Gray & Underway Hosho was initially designed as a tanker ship but redesigned during construction as a carrier and officially designated as an aircraft depot ship. -annonymous 12/01/06

According to Norman Polmar [Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and its Influence on World Events, Volume 1, 1909-1945], Hermes and Hosho were the first ships designed as aircraft carriers, Hermes being laid down first and Hosho being the first in commission. However, the following sources dispute the origins of the Hosho:

http://hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/ijn_cv.htm#hosh http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/japan/hosho-cvl.htm

Note the contradictory information at the globalsecurity link. Also, neither site gives their sources, and I can only assume they have acces to hard-to-get Japanese sources (yet Polmar seems to have more access to Japanese sources than anybody, yet doesn't raise this issue). --Dukefan73 11:43, 16 March 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Seaplane tenders

I have removed the statement about them being phased out in the 20's, as it was inaccurate. If they had been phased out in the 20's then the Langley would not have been converted to one in 1937. [1] The Japanese had a few in their fleet, and even some floatplane fighters like the A6M2-N "Rufe"Nakajima A6M2-N.----anynobdy 04 January 2007

Actually, it said they fell out of frontline use , which is not the same thing as being phased out. I assume that satement came from a source somewhere, but it's not cited, so it makes it difficult to source. But as written, it does appear factual to me. - BillCJ 00:46, 5 January 2007 (UTC)
Added links to DANFS with info regarding Avocet and Langley. BillCJ, "out of frontline use" sounded to me like they were not being built/converted and not used for combat operations. If I misunderstood you I apologize, but seaplane tenders were being used for combat operations. Here is a link to a Naval Historical Center page of photos regarding just small seaplane tenders AVP. [2] Though they don't have photos for all of them, you can see by how many there are and their dates of service.

Anynobody 23:02, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

Added link to article on USS Langley (CV-1).

Anynobody 05:02, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Deletion of images

Deletion of images without justification (edit summary or discussion) crosses the line into vandalism. Repeated deletion of images on several aircraft carrier articles appear to be work of same individual operating from a series of IP addresses starting with 144.138.xx.xxx. Warnings have been placed on these addresses, but they have not been heeded. HJ 15:38, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

You might try User talk:Chrislk02. He is an admin who is activc in WP:AIR, and is willing to help deal with vandals. - BillCJ 17:17, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, he's used many IP addresses since last fall but only starting blanking in last few weeks. HJ 17:35, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] LHA/LHD

Suggest that LHD LHA are defined before the acronyms are used. Common practice is to use the full proper name and then put the appropriate acronym in brackets, afterwards the acronym should be used there after. --131.137.245.198 18:12, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

While the letters do have meaning, they are not so much acronyms but part of the USN's hull classification symbol. Hull classification symbols aren't usually defined in normal usage. The first occurances were linked to disambiguation pages, which is an acceptable practice on Wikipedia. However, I have substituted more-direct links to the explanatory articles (LHA (hull classification symbol), LHD (hull classification symbol)). - BillCJ 18:38, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

LHAs and LHDs shouldn't even be mentioned in the article. They are ships that can carry aircraft, but they are not aircraft carriers, and there is a distinction. --Dukefan73 05:13, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

I guess that would depend on one's definition of "aircraft carrier".The article states: An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and recover aircraft — in effect acting as a sea-going airbase. I would add that it also carries a fairly large number of aircraft (at least more that 5), and that carrying aircraft is its primary mission.
By both those definitions, LPHs, LHAs, and LHDs qualify as carriers. (Yes, helicopters are aircraft too.) They are the direct descendants of the escort carrier, and the first LPH was a converted CVE (USS Thetis Bay', CVE-90, vonverted to LPH-6). Two Essex carriers were also converted as LPHs while the Iwo Jima class LPHs were being built.
Yes, the LHAs and LHDs also carry landing craft, but the LPHs did not. The LHAs were designed to rectify that mistake, as helicopters couldn't fly in extreme weather. In addition, the LHAs and LHDs carry Harriers on a regular basis. So, as carrying Hariers and helicopters is the primary role of the LHAs and LHDs, I'd say they qualify as aircraft carriers. - BillCJ 23:47, 22 April 2007 (UTC)
I understand that helicopters are aircraft (simply a matter of rotary-wing versus fixed-wing). However, going by the article's definition, then the Vittorio Veneto (C550), Johan De Witt (L801), Rotterdam (L800), and numerous other ships would therefore be called aircraft carriers. The primary role of the LHAs and LHDs are to put Marines ashore, and the aircraft are a means to that end. Therefor, they are rightfully classified as amphibious assault ships, and not aircraft carriers. However, I fully understand the point you're trying to make. I would also argue that LPHs, LHAs, and LHDs are not descended from CVEs in any manner except for the fact that the first LPH was a converted CVE. CVEs were designed to provide air support for convoys and air support for amphibious invasions, freeing up the fleet carriers for other duties. --Dukefan73 04:09, 25 April 2007 (UTC)
The LHAs and LHDs are hybrid - both amphibious assualt ships AND aircraft carriers, hence the term "amphibious assualt carriers" is often used. They primarily use aircraft to put Marines ashore (tho they have other means such as landing craft, but those are primarily as back-up). They also provide air support (Harriers and Cobras) for amphibious landings, and it's one of there primary missions. In wartime, they are capable of carrying Harriers as air superiority, and ASW helicopters in an ASW role, and could be used to escort convoys. Because of all this, I believe they warrant some coverage in this article.
As to the other types you metioned, they are usually classed as LPDs to my knowledge; while they have flight decks (usually half-length or smaller), operating aircraft is not their primary role. - BillCJ 04:59, 25 April 2007 (UTC)
The primary purpose of a LHA, LHD, LSD, LPH, etc, is to transport troops, vehicles, and equipment. The fact that they carry helicopters is but a means to the end of putting those troops, vehicles, and equipment ashore. The landing craft carried by these ships are not a secondary or back-up means of doing this; they are just as important as the airborne means, especially for the bulk of the vehicles and equipment which cannot be lifted by helicopters. If Tarawa and Wasp are aircraft carriers, then surely the Whidbey Island and HMS Ocean are also. Furthermore, any reputable warships reference book such as Jane's Fighting Ships or Combat Fleets of the World list do NOT list any of these ships under "aircraft carriers", they are listed under amphibious warfare forces or the like. If the USN, Jane's, A.D. Baker, and other very reputable sources don't list them nor view them as aircraft carriers, then I think that speaks for itself. The Wikipedia article should not contradict far more reputable sources that do not consider these ships as aircraft carriers. They should have a seperate article.--Dukefan73 13:07, 26 April 2007 (UTC)
They DO have a separate article, Amphibious assualt ships. Their coverage here in this article is minimal at best, and given the fact that LHAs and LHDs are larger than the carriers of all aother nations other than the US, Russia, and France, warrants at least a mention here. It's not very good as yet, and could use lots of improvement. The HMS Ocean (L12) page lists the ship as an LPH/helicopter carrier, while USS Whidbey Island (LSD-41) is an LSD, a different type of ship. An LPH (and LHA/LHD) has a full-length flight deck; LSDs do not. In fact, the RN's HMS Ocean page describes her as a "Amphibious Helicopter Carrier". So I stand by my interpretation that LHA/LHD/LPH ships are hybrids - both carriers and amhibious assault ships. If you want to remove all mention to these ships from this article, you'll to have a consensus to do, and I don't believe you'll get it. - BillCJ 17:07, 26 April 2007 (UTC)
I was waiting for you to mention full-length flight decks. Now you're simply making the argument that if it looks like an aircraft carrier, it must be an aircraft carrier. But let's look at something you mentioned previously. An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and recover aircraft — in effect acting as a sea-going airbase. I would add that it also carries a fairly large number of aircraft (at least more that 5), and that carrying aircraft is its primary mission."
If you want to stick by your own argument, then the LHAs and LHDs are not aircraft carriers. Their primary mission is to put amhibious troops, their vehicles, and equipment ashore. Their primary mission is NOT to perform power projection or fleet defense, which is what aircraft carriers do. An aircraft carrier is defined just as much by its role as it is by the fact that it carries aircraft (whether fixed or rotary-wing). Just to further my argument, under the heading of Aircraft Carriers Today, the article states: "Nine countries maintain a total of 25 aircraft carriers". If LHAs and LHDs are aircraft carriers, then why are they not included in that total? I don't necessarily want to remove all mention of them from the article, I just want it made clear that LHAs and LHDs are not aircraft carriers in the presently or historically accepted sense of the term.--Dukefan73 02:03, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
Then please write the Royal navy, and inform them they are mistake to call the Ocean a helicopter carrier, as you yorself stated above that it is not a carrier. They'll be glad for the correction. I'm finished arguing with you. Are LHAs or KHDs fleet carriers? of course not, but to blanketly state that no one considers them to be cairriers of any kind is also wrong. It is a matter of dispute, not a cut-and-dried issue. If you want to add sources to the article that state they are not carriers, fine. I will then add sources which do consider them to be carriers, and we can let the readers decide. - BillCJ 03:10, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
I considered this exchange to be a debate/discussion, not an argument. I never said HMS Ocean wasn't a helicopter carrier. I also don't recall making a blanket statement that nobody considers the LHAs or LHDs to be aircraft carriers, as obviously you and some other people do consider them. I'm not demeaning your perspective on the matter, and believe it or not I fully understand the logic of your argument. I would like to know your sources that classify them as aircraft carriers, I'll probably buy the books and read them for myself. However, I stand by my previous statement that if the USN, Jane's Fighting Ships, Combat Fleets of the World, etc, do not classify them as aircraft carriers, then that's what I go with. I really can't think of any more reputable sources. I'm eagerly awaiting the realease of Norman Polmar's second volume on aircraft carriers. It covers the period 1946-2006, and I'll see what he has to say about it, as he is the foremost authority on the subject IMHO (with the possible exception of Norman Friedman).--Dukefan73 11:17, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
Looks like I don't have to write the RN. I decided to start with their home page and go from there. I went to the Surface Fleet link, then the Aircraft Carriers link. Nothing about HMS Ocean. Backing up, I clicked on the Assault Ships link, and there she is. Interesting, don't you think? Maybe I'll ask her crew how they feel, she's been here in Norfolk for about a week now, and if she's still here maybe I can get their opinion. It would be interesting to get their perspective.--Dukefan73 11:23, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
Do you even read what I write? The RN's HMS Ocean page describes her as a "Amphibious Helicopter Carrier". That is the page I was referring to, and what needs to be changed, as you have "clearly" proven she is not a carrier of any kind. Hopefully the webmaster is on that ship, and you can straighten him/her out right there! - BillCJ 14:34, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes, I do read what you write. I went the long way as I described to the link you provided. I NEVER stated she wasn't a "carrier of any kind". I agree that HMS Ocean is a helicopter carrier (which does not make her an aircraft carrier, because now you're making the distinction between rotary and fixed wing). Once again, I'll ask you for a list of your sources that classify the amhibious assault ships as aircraft carriers. Simply the ISBN numbers will do. That way I can read the material and get a better grasp of your perspective.--Dukefan73 21:37, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
OK, my bad; sorry. As we already discussed, helicopters are aircraft. Really this is a semantics issue. To me, all "carriers" are "aircraft carriers", because, fixed- or rotary-wing, they are all aircraft, and that's what the ships are designed to carry. They aren't ballon- or blimp- or airship- carriers, but carry heavier-than-air vehicles (aircraft). Yes, the term "aircraft carrier" is usually used in the limited scope of meaning fleet, light, or super-carriers, but the other type of carriers also carry "aircraft", and the term is used broadly in that sense also. It's wrong to ingore the broader sense outright, but also worng to ignore that the limited sense is genuine also. Second, the term "amphibious assault ship" is broader than just LHAs and LHDs, and usually includes all types of amphibious operational support ships.
Given the limited coverage of other type of carriers in this article, I'm not really sure what you're objecting to, in relation to the article itself. If it's the big pic at the top woth the five "carriers" (incl. and LHA/D), the fact that 4 of the 5 carry Harriers, and the LHA/Ds larger size over the others, warrants its inclusion on that basis alone. If you feel the title needs tweaking, fine, lets discuss that in another section, and hope other editors will contribute.
As to the books, sorry, I guess I didn't read you carefully! :( - My bad, I just missed it. One of my primary sources is Carrier Aviation: Air Power Directory, ISBN 1-880588-42-0. It has detailed coverage of all major aircraft carriers and carrier aircraft since 1950, including the US LPHs, LHA's and LHDs. Interestingly, the current HMS Ocean is not covered, but the national sections are separate, written by different people. The term "amphibious assault ship" and "amphibious assault carrier" are used interchangably for LHAs/LHDs. It's a fairly recent book (2001), and a great resource for an overview of carrier history. - BillCJ 00:04, 28 April 2007 (UTC)
I got lucky and found a used copy of your book on Amazon for $5.50! Already ordered it. I wasn't trying to give you the impression that I have tunnel vision and am unable to see the broader sense of the term. I asked my father (a retired USN BMCS with 28 years AD) his opinion, since he served in USS Intrepid, USS Independence, USS America, USS John F Kennedy, USS Franklin D Roosevelt, USS Nimitz, USS Saratoga, USS Forrestal, USS Eisenhower, and USS Saipan, what he thought about it. He stated he never considered the Saipan an aircraft carrier, as her design and mission was very different from that of the 9 carriers he served in during his carreer. He allowed that he could understand where somebody could take the viewpoint that the LHAs and LHDs are aircraft carriers, (primarily due to the visual aspect) but he agreed with me that it wouldn't follow with the accepted usage of the term. Just a viewpoint from somebody who's been there (I've actually spent a day on the Eisenhower, and spent 5 days at sea on the Saipan myself).
Funny you should mention the picture, because that probably bothers me more than anything. I believe the Wiki article titled "Aircraft Carriers" should be about aircraft carriers as the term is commonly used, going along with standard references such as Jane's Fighting Ships and Combat Fleets of the World. I've probably given you the impression that I'm being overzealous, I didn't mean to come across that way, I just jumped into our discussion a bit quickly.
  • I thought the pic might might have been the keey here. But whatever you consider the Wasp', a pic like that is a photo-op, as ships hardly ever sail tht close together. Someone considered the ships worthy of a pic, and it does give a good comparison of the ships in questions. - BillCJ 17:35, 28 April 2007 (UTC)
Having viewed the Helicopter Carrier, Anti-submarine warfare carrier, and Amphibious assault ships articles, I think there's some real problems here. Here's a qoute from the Amphibious assault ships articles you should find interesting:
"The Tarawa and Wasp types and their Iwo Jima class forebears resemble aircraft carriers. However, the role of an amphibious assault ship is fundamentally different to that of an aircraft carrier. Its aviation facilities are not to support strike or air defence aircraft, but for hosting helicopters to support forces ashore."
This falls in line with my position. It clearly defines the ships by their roles and not their appearence or secondary abilities. Since the Amphibious assault ships article is so clear on this, then shouldn't the effort be made to make sure that there's nothing in the Aircraft Carriers article to contradict this? Otherwise somebody using the Wiki articles to educate themselves on the subject would be a bit flummoxed by the contradiction, IMHO. Then the Helicopter Carrier article brings up my previous argument of including the LPHs and similar ships with the LHAs and LHDs as aircraft carriers as you postulate. The qoute from the article:
"Helicopter carriers can either have a full-length aircraft deck like HMS Ocean, or have a large helicopter deck, usually aft, as in the Italian cruiser Vittorio Veneto or HMS Albion ."
So, if Vittorio Veneto with an aft flight deck for helicopters is a helicopter carrier, like the Saipan, and if the Saipan is an "aircraft carrier" because she operates fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, then it goes to follow that Vittorio Veneto is also an aircraft carrier. This is where I diverge from your broader definition of "aircraft carrier", because I simply cannot consider Vittorio Veneto, Albion, Whidbey Island, etc as "aircraft carriers". In other words, I don't want there to be a misleading linear connection between these ships, as they all have different roles, functions, and capabilites.
I seem to be rambling on here, as I just got off work a couple of hours ago and it's early in the morning. Sorry if this has been a bit disjointed! Maybe I should simply agree to disagree, but I think the discussion has been pretty stimulating so far.--Dukefan73 10:37, 28 April 2007 (UTC)
Agreed. The LHA/D has a dual mission and the support of its embarked Marines with its aerial assets is a primary one. The LHD's were recently used purely to support Harriers in OIF, as there was no need for assault support. The notion that a helicopter carrier cannot also be an aircraft carrier is absurd. One is a specialization of the other.--Mmx1 00:21, 28 April 2007 (UTC)
Providing air support for amphibious troops is part of the primary role of getting them ashore. I've never said a helicopter carrier couldn't be an aircraft carrier. Going by the actual two word terminology (simply, *aircraft carrier*), then it not only can be but it is. That's my whole point, the term has a much greater connotation than simply "a ship that carries aircraft". That goes back to my whole point of the difference between a CV and an LHA is their primary role. Amphibs don't do power projection, and you're in trouble if you're using a handful of Harriers for fleet air defense (the RN know this from experience).--Dukefan73 10:37, 28 April 2007 (UTC)
Again, it really is an issue of definition and semantics, and where one draws the line between "aircraft carrier" and "aircraft-carrying ship". FFs, DDS, and CGs carry helicopters, but no one considers them "helicopter carriers". It does have to do wtih role, and amount of aircraft carried. If the LHA/Ds are considered "helicopter carriers", but not "aircraft carriers", does that make Harriers helicopters? Again, there is a difference between a CV and a LHA, of course they aren't the same thing by role. But is the term "aircraft carreir" exclusively resevered for CV/CVL/CVS/CVNs? In the narrow sense, yes, but in the broader sense, no. The broader sense is usually just termed "carrier", but it's obvious that "aircraft" is in mind here - they don't carry cattle, or oil, or so on. :) - BillCJ 17:35, 28 April 2007 (UTC)
It seems to me that we are in agreement then. Using the commonly accepted definition of the term, an LHA/D is not an aircraft carrier. However, in the broader sense of the simple two word terminology *aircraft carrier*, then it is. My primary point was using the proper terminology as determined by their role. A LHA/D *could* be an aircraft carrier in a *limited* sense of the accepted connotation of the term. In other words, we're probably splitting some hairs.
One more thing to consider: THe Ark Royal is just coming out of refit, and will be filling in for the Ocean while she undergoes refit. As such, the Ark will be acting as a LPH, and part of her refit was for this role. Does that mean the HMS Ark Royal is no longer an aircraft carrier during the time she fills in for HMS Ocean? - BillCJ 17:46, 28 April 2007 (UTC)
I was waiting for you to mention that. There have been rare occasions where USN aircraft carriers have operated in a role similar to what the LHA/Ds do everyday. However, I certainly wouldn't begin to call them "amphibious assault ships" or "helicopter carriers". This brings us back to the whole point about the ships' primary role. Here's where my argument becomes crystal clear. The primary role of a Nimitz class ship is that of aircraft carrier. It *can* perform in the amphibious assault ship role, but it is limited in that role as that is not a primary function. The primary role of a Tarawa/Wasp class ship is that of amphibious assault ship. They *can* perform in the aircraft carrier role, but it is very limited in that role, as it is not a primary function of that class. Which is why they are distinguished as seperate type ships in every reputable reference source.
We can keep going round and round but the past few exchanges leads me to think that we're on pretty much the same page, with a clear view and understanding of each others perspective. I'd also like to mention that I don't like the large paragraph on seaplanes under the World War II developments heading. It's superfluous as it has nothing to do with aircraft carrier design or roles, during or after the war. Just another point to ponder I suppose.--Dukefan73 09:45, 1 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Garbage Pictures

When I load this article, I expect to see Nimitz-class aircraft carriers featured prominently, instead the pictures are all of second-rate carriers such as British, French and Spanish ones - the only American carriers featured first are amphibious-class carriers. Is this a joke or what? I say remove that garbage picture at the top of the article and replace it with a Nimitz-class carrier's image. If anyone one cares to know that say, Russia, has an aircraft carrier, they are welcome to read the rest of the article. It would speak volumes for clarity if we saw the USS Ronald Regan, for example, as the first image in the article - instead of the useless picture we have now. Scott 110 06:13, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

I noticed two things about your observation which are flawed. 1) There are at least three Nimitz class ships in the pictures, the Lincoln, Truman, and Stennis. 2) The article is about aircraft carriers in general, which means that other countries carriers need to be mentioned as well as historical carriers. If you have some pictures of Nimitz class ships appropriate for the article, please feel free to upload them. Anynobody 06:33, 2 March 2007 (UTC)
Actually, we used to have one of a Nimitz class ship with another smaller carrier at the top of the page, but the image file quit working. Because the article is about ships of other nations, I felt it appropriate to use the current lead pic in that position. If someone were to upload a more recent pic of several types of carriers, including a Nimitz, I would welcome it. By the way, the Forrestal, which is in the lead pic, never was an amphibious carrier. As the world's first supercarrier, I think it's appopriate to lead off the article with her in the pic. - BillCJ 06:53, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Fact checking

The following line from the first section looks very very wrong to me. "even on the large Admiral Kuznetsov, lightly-loaded Su-33 'Flanker-D' air superiority fighters require almost the entire length of the deck to take off" As the Kuznetsov uses an arrested start system to launch her airplanes, and numerous videos show lightly loaded Su-33s taking off using that system, and the island is in the way for at least half of the avalible angle for an aircraft to take off using the entire deck, I see no way this could be fact. The arrested start system is like a drop gate for downhill mountian bike races, where a little drop down chalk holds the wheels of the plane in place long enough for the engines to power up, and then drop and it takes off with more power, and without these the Su-33 is not capable of taking off, and they are only installed on the forward section. So I believe this line should be removed, as it does not seem like fact, only an assumption. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 142.167.144.253 (talk • contribs).

It definitely needs a source. I'll add a {{fact}} tag to the item. If no one has found a source by then in a couple of weeks, then we can remove it. - BillCJ 19:35, 28 April 2007 (UTC)
I think whoever added it was maybe confusing the third launch position with having to use the whole flight deck:
Diagram of Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov
Diagram of Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov
I think we should go ahead and remove it. Anynobody 20:38, 28 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Ski-jump

I have undone the shoe-horning of the ski-jump into the landing section of Posst-war innovations for several reasons. First, it seems odd to discuss take off and landing in the same section. Two, the landing system was developed in the early 50s, while the ski-jump was in the 70s. Fourth, the first three innovations were critical to successful operations of carrier jet aircraft in the 50s - shoe-horning the ski-jump in here is anachronistic. Fifth, the ski-jump would fit more naturally afote rthe section on helicopter carriers, as they are are the type most often fitted with the ramps. - BillCJ 16:22, 5 May 2007 (UTC)

  • We might add something on the ski-jump's use in the Soviet Union/Russia for STOBAR launches in place of traditional CATOBAR, and its adoption in India for its new carriers. Also, the fact that the ski-jump takes up usuable deck-parking space needs to be mentioned, with suitable sourcing. - BillCJ 15:12, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Too many pictures or they are too big

BillCJ you are correct about what the WP:MOS says, but please note that it says in most cases. We are possibly not complying with another MOS image issue regarding images interfering with the format of the article and "stacking up" on the right side of the article. If you don't approve of the resize option, we need to either explore creating a gallery or removing some pictures (which I'd rather not do). Anynobody 22:31, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

We could delete out pics that aren't necessary to illustrate the items being discussed. or are redundant. I think too many pics have been added of late, and maybe some need to be cut back. A gallery illustrating the major types of carriers, and the nations operating carriers, might help to alleviate the conjestion in the latter part of the article, where there is not much text for some entries. But as a rule, the sizing needs to be left alone so personal preference sttings will work. - BillCJ 01:01, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

I went ahead and removed two images, both focusing on aircraft rather than the ship. Anynobody 08:15, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] New Outline

As long as we're deleting some images, which I acknowledge is necessary, could we also reorganize the way the article is laid out? As it is the article jumps around a bit, for example the Flight deck section (1)discusses modern flight decks only so it seems more appropriate under section 7 Aircraft carriers today. I'd suggest an order like:

New Outline
Proposal

Anynobody 01:49, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

That looks good to me. As the primary feateures of the carrier evolved slowly over time, arranging the article in roughly chronological order makes sense. Some other editors may have some suggestions, but if there are no objections in the next few days, we can go ahead and implement it. I would add an "Entering the Jet Age" seciton just after WWII, and put the first three PW developments there with the Korean war, and the other develpments later, possibly with the rest of the Post-war conflicts. We might even separate the post war sections a bit more, with a late 50's-Vietnam section covering the CVA/CVS ships of the USN, plus the RN's carrier to the East-of-Suez aftermath,a post-VN section covering the multi-role CV/CVN concept, and the V/STOL carriers along with the Falklands. We could also thin out the flight deck materialn to what's absolutley crititcal to the historical context of that section, and move the rest to the Flight deck article. - BillCJ 07:32, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Revised outline

(Not an attempt to list definitive sections headings, only section content)

  1. Basic sumarry to types
  2. History and milestones prior to World War II
    1. Early history (World War I and earlier)
      1. Balloon carriers
    2. Inter-war developments
      1. Seaplane tenders
      2. Genesis of the flat-deck carrier
      3. Hydraulic catapults
  3. World War II:conflict and innovation
    1. Catapult aircraft merchant carriers
    2. CVLs
    3. CVEs
    4. Hurricane bow
  4. Early Jet Age
    1. Jet aircraft
    2. Korean War
    3. 3 key developments
      1. Angled deck
      2. Steam catapults
      3. Landing system
  5. Post-Korea through Vietnam
    1. CVA/CVS
    2. Nuclear age
    3. ASW carriers
    4. Amphibious assualt ships
    5. British carriers through East-of-Suez pullback
    6. Vietnam
  6. Post-Vietnam to Iraq
    1. UNS's multipurpose CV/CVN
    2. V/STOL carriers (Britian, Spain, USSR)
    3. Ski jump
    4. Falklands War
    5. Soviet attempts to field supercarriers
    6. Operation Desert Storm
  7. Aircraft carriers today
    1. Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom
    2. Flight deck
  8. Future aircraft carriers
    1. EMALS —The preceding unsigned comment was added by BillCJ (talk • contribs) 15:06, 8 May 2007 (UTC).
I think the revised outline works logically. My only concern is the summary of types being at the beginning is going to mention CVNs and LHDs before discussing them more in depth, which could confuse some readers. Is suggest moving it to just before the Future aircraft carriers.
Also, do you think Sea Launch should be mentioned? I realize it's not an aircraft carrier per se, but it could be called a spacecraft carrier. Anynobody 19:33, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
It's been six months with no action toward implementing the revised outline. I will move Flight Deck to a position underneath "...Today". I hope that starts the ball rolling. Binksternet 19:48, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] ASW carriers

While looking over the article outline, I noticed scant coverage of ASW carrier, which was important in the fifties and sixties. It was an outgrowth of the CVE, as was the amphibious assault carrier. I'll try to collect my sources to add something soon, but if we can make some space in the outline for it, that would be good. - BillCJ 07:32, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

Please add them where you feel appropriate (I'm guessing in the postwar timeframe), the list is simply how I feel what we have now should be ordered. I've also wanted to discuss the Soviet Kiev class and it's missile/carrier nature so that might be a good section for it. I had hoped that perhaps a section for unique planned aircraft carriers/concepts that never were (like the Soviet supercarrier, or the British Pykrete concept) after the reorganization of course. Anynobody 07:59, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, I forgot about the Kievs. The definitely could go in with the British V/Stol developmetn, since both designs (ship and aircraft) were different approaches to the same solutions.

I was also thinking we might make a section to list all the types of carriers, either at the top (preferably) or bottom of the page, with a brief summary on each type, and details in the main historical sections. I think the planned carrier classes would be best covered in the relevant histories. - BillCJ 08:12, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

That's a good point, at first I figured ASW carriers could include ships like Wasp class LHDs but I forgot that they are amphibious assault ships. Distinguishing the types all together is a good idea. Anynobody 08:19, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
There are aircraft carriers that were "commando carriers" ie amphibious warfare without having Landing craft (and were also ASW carriers in later life) eg HMS Bulwark (R08) GraemeLeggett 12:10, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
That's right too, I read something about Kitty Hawk serving a similar purpose in the 2001 Afghanistan operations. Anynobody 23:54, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Hurricane Bow section

Unless I missed it, there's nothing in the article about the different carrier design philosophies of the RN and USN. The primary one being the adapaption of the "armored box" philosophy wherein the flight deck was the primary strength deck in RN carriers, and the "open hangar" design of the USN, wherein the hangar deck was the primary strength deck and the flight deck was essentially a superstructure built atop the hangar deck. It's been debated over the years as to which design was better, and had an impact on carrier operations during WII, which I think warrants some mentioning. Which leads me to the hurrican bow section. The hurricane bow was a necessary design feature of the armored box carriers of the RN, and I'm not really sure that it was an innovation in and of itself. The paragraph is confusing in that it mentions that the hurricane bow "became standard for British and American carriers". This wasn't true of USN carriers until long after the war, as the Forrestals were the first carriers in the USN designed with a hurricane bow, the Essex class carriers didn't get them unless they underwent the SCB-125 conversion, and the Midways didn't get them until they underwent the SCB-110 conversion, none of which didn't happen until the mid-late 50s. --Dukefan73 11:39, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

Its covered extensively at Flight_deck#Armoured_decks. GraemeLeggett 11:59, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

The Hurricane Bow section needs to be fleshed out then. The hurricane bow wasn't an innovation in and of itself (at least I've never read of any evidence that it was), it was a result of the RN including the flight deck as part of the hull girder, therefore giving you the enclosed hangar and hurricane bow, as opposed to the open hangar and open bow of USN ships. There were several reasons for this, and they're not covered much or at all in either the Hurricane Bow section or the seperate Flight Deck article. --Dukefan73 12:05, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

If you have verifiable sources to cite, then by all means go for it. THe extensive treatment would be better in the Flight deck article, whith a brief sourced summary here. - BillCJ 18:39, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Aircraft Carriers Today

The following statement is found in this section: The United States has the majority of aircraft carriers with a dozen in service and a dozen in reserve, and its aircraft carriers are a cornerstone of American power projection capability. This statement isn't true. There are only 11 active carriers, and only CV-67 could be considered in reserve. All other carriers have been stricken from the Naval Vessel Register. --Dukefan73 10:01, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Then there's the following statement: Nine countries maintain a total of 25 aircraft carriers: United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, Italy, India, Spain, Brazil, and Thailand. This isn't true either. Using the handy embedded link, you'll count only 20 in active service, and I'm not counting Cavour, which is still under construction, and HMS Ocean (if you count her, why not the LHAs and LHDs?). Therefore, I'm planning on changing the statement to reflect reality. --Dukefan73 10:46, 14 May 2007 (UTC)


Just a bit more to think about The UK is going to replace three invincable carriers, each carry 20ish aircraft, with two queen elizabeth class, each carrying 35. 60 increasing to 70 is hardly a huge increase The same goes for the French, ok, they havent had 2 carriers since 2007, but its always been the intention. I dont know, I just the wording is a bit odd for France and outright wrong for the UK--80.254.146.20 (talk) 15:17, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Common Types/World War II developments

The entire paragraph on seaplanes in this section has nothing to do with aircraft carriers or their development. It should be removed in its entirety. --Dukefan73 11:58, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

Seplane tenders and seaplane carriers were an important step in the evolution of the modern aircraft carrier. Given that the article is as much, if not more, about the history of the carrier as its modern form, it is entirely relevant. If the article were striclty about modern carriers, you would have a point. But it's not. - BillCJ 18:37, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

Yet the paragraph in question has nothing to do with either seaplane tenders or seaplane carriers. It simply rambles on about the evolution of seaplanes fighters during WWII and has nothing to do with the evolution of aircraft carriers whatsoever, whether historically or in a modern sense. To include this in the article yet have the development of open/close hangars mentioned in a seperate article makes absolutely no sense. --Dukefan73 21:45, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

Point taken. It would be better in the seaplane or seaplane carrier article. With sources, of course. - BillCJ 22:00, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
However it could be a good idea to briefly discuss why seaplanes couldn't do the same job as conventional aircraft for those who don't understand the dynamics of how performance suffers with floats and fuselage's designed for operation on water. Anynobody 01:50, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

Then that would be more appropriate under the early development of through deck carriers that used aircraft with wheeled undercarriages. The performance of float planes is irrelevent to the development of aircraft carriers, the emphasis should be made on how it was far more efficient to operate planes that could take off and land from a flight deck as opposed to those that operated from water. If somebody doesn't understand the performance penalty that floatplanes suffer, then they need to learn far more about aircraft in general than falls within the scope of this article. In my opinion, of course. --Dukefan73 14:03, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

The brief discussion would serve to show why the development shifted to conventional aircraft carriers. A reader who doesn't know anything about carriers or their aircraft could wonder why so much time and effort was spent creating floating airfields when a seaplane can take off and land near the ship instead of on it. Anynobody 00:14, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

Then I'm confused as to how it's determined what should be included in the article and what should be left to a seperate article. I think it's far more important to discuss the closed hangar versus open hangar practice than it would be to devote space to discussing seaplanes and their performance. If a person is intelligent enough to understand the basics of powered flight, then surely they can see the logic in landing on what is essentially a floating airfiled, as opposed to landing on the water and having to lift the plane aboard via a crane. If you wanted to make a mention of it in an evolutionary sense under History and Milestones, then I feel it would be appropriate there. Actually, I've always wondered why that section isn't the first section in the article. --Dukefan73 02:06, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

The article should definitely concentrate on the ships themselves, but some mention of the aircraft in general terms is necessary too. For example, when discussing the flight deck's evolution one must mention the aircraft because their changes are what spurred the new deck changes.
You are giving the general public too much credit for knowledge of powered flight. Even intelligent people like brain surgeons may not know about how significant the increased drag of a seaplane hampers performance. To cite a related example, have you ever seen the movie Top Gun? The entire movie is rife with major errors, but the most egregious was the concept of both engines of an F-14 failing due to passing through another aircraft's exhaust, and then somehow losing enough forward momentum to enter a flat spin followed by a highly improbable malfunction of an ACES II ejection system.
People I would've expected to know better thought the series of events depicted was entirely plausible. (I say I would've expected to know better because they are people who I have been to airshows with featuring the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels flying formations which would be impossible had the movie been correct.)
The point is before there were flat deck carriers there were seaplane tenders, people unfamiliar with aviation concepts won't necessarily understand the differences between a seaplane and conventional aircraft.
Also, there's nothing saying the seaplane issue and the open deck issue can't both be discussed. (Not at the same time obviously.) Anynobody 03:37, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Minor renaming

I noticed the attempted change to Royal Navy, and agree with BillCJ the title is Brit-centric. However I realized the term that was originally there doesn't work either. I could see British Navy or Royal Navy (UK), I chose the latter and formatted the French navy to match. Anynobody 23:00, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

Good solution! THanks. - BillCJ 23:20, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

No problem, happy to help. (P.S. Sorry for the late reply) Anynobody 08:04, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Hurricane bow section

I was drawing a 3d model of the Lexington and it dawned on me, the class had hurricane bows. The British innovation section was unreferenced, so I replaced it with chronological fact. Anynobody 07:59, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

PS feel free to mention British hurricane bows, I removed the section because I assume whoever put it in will reword it better than I could. Anynobody 08:07, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Russian carrier in future CV section

This is what was listed when I removed it. Since the section is about future carriers, Kuznetsov should be mentioned in modern aircraft carriers. Anynobody 06:36, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

Sorry! I was referring to why the section on the new carreir was deleted some time ago, not the current carrier, but included it for context. Is the Kuznetsov covered in an earlier section? If not, we should move this part up. - BillCJ 06:39, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

It's no biggie, I tend to be liberal with my copy/paste selections too. Doesn't look like Kuznetsov is mentioned specifically. The text currently under the future Russian program looks familiar (the generalities of the Russian program that is, I'm not alleging plagiarism). Do you happen to know where it's from? Anynobody 06:46, 23 June 2007 (UTC)
If you're talking about what is there now, then I wrote this the same day that the article appeared on Lenta.Ru. There isn't any copy/paste, it was all written from scratch. If the last paragraph looks familiar, it's just because everybody uses the same language when talking about Russian shipbuilding programs. ^_^ I was considering the necessity of that paragraph myself, so feel free to delete it. And thanks for fixing the references, anyway. - Khathi 12:59, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

No, he meant the phrasing of the section from before you added your material. You did everything the right way, from what I can tell; we just added a few English sources and translation links for the Russian pages. Thanks for finding and adding the Lenta RU piece - it was a timely addition, and well-appreciated. THat's the beauty of Wikipedia - editors working together to improve an article! - BillCJ 15:40, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

Ok, fine then. - Khathi 09:59, 27 June 2007 (UTC)
to what BillCJ said; The Google translator had some issues but it does give an English reader a good idea of what the articles say.
Khathi I too appreciate the sources, thank you very much. Anynobody 23:42, 25 June 2007 (UTC)
SYSTRAN (IIRC the stuff Google uses) is a mighty strange piece of code, but whatever... Some people in the Navy tends to dismiss these statements as a PR trick anyway. You see, the funds required aren't yet appropriated -- there's no government decree, nothing, and Masorin's contract wasn't prolonged this year -- he's due to step down by fall, so many speculate that he just tries to impress the people enough to keep his job. - Khathi 09:59, 27 June 2007 (UTC)
I would agree with them, building 3 - 4 carriers is awfully expensive. Besides the ships themselves, more Naval fighters/bombers need to be built or developed too. Then, once built, comes maintenance for it all which is also pricey.
Don't get me wrong, I'd like to see a Russian supercarrier program. I just think it'd be smarter to develop Typhoon class SSGNs similar to what the US did with the first four Ohio class boats. Anynobody 02:33, 28 June 2007 (UTC)
How is that smarter? -G
I don't see how -- 941s are huge pieces of steel, the only reason for them were the enormous size of the missiles they carry^ they simply won't fit into venerable 677s. Famous "Vanya Washington"s hunchbacks were already much too large an the latest models, and so 941s were born. They're bulky, they're loud and they're not particularly efficient: their nickname in the Navy is "Water tankers", due to ballast water weight being around 70% of submerged displacement. Modern "Bulava" missiles are much smaller (if they only will ever become effective, that is;), they don't require such massive carriers. And in my opinion convertiong Ohio boats into multirole ones is just playing the cards Pentagon got for what they worth, but not a particularly smart move. LCSs are much more effective, as I see them. -- Khathi 15:59, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

BTW, can someone who's more familiar with reference syntax than me fix the references in the section? I believe there's enough said about the (fact) stamements in the articles already cited, but I find the refertence system too cumbersome to fix it myself. - Khathi 17:04, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Which carrier did I see?

I was just in Norfolk, VA this afternoon (just got back) and seeing an aircraft carrier (or any warship) is a special thing for me. I saw a carrier at the Navy base and I would like to know exactly which carrier I saw. I couldn't make out the hull number, though. I am almost sure the first number was 6 but I couldn't make out the second number. I thought it was 63 (The Kittyhawk), but it could have been 65 or 69. Anyway, is there an online resource that could verify which carrier(s) was/were in Norfolk today, or is that a security risk? 75.75.110.235 23:52, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

Had to have been the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, CVN-69. The USS Enterprise, CVN-65, deployed last weekend, and the "IKE" is the only other carrier with a hull number starting with 6 that's stationed in Norfolk. I know, I live in Norfolk. Oh, and no, it's not a security risk. Contrary to those that watch too many movies, the comings and goings of surface ships are pretty well known, especially if you live in a large navy town like Norfolk. --Dukefan73 11:51, 14 July 2007 (UTC)
The USN even posts a summary of the locations of its major ships at: http://www.navy.mil/navydata/navy_legacy_hr.asp?id=146 The summary was much more detailed before September 11, however. --Nick Dowling 23:44, 14 July 2007 (UTC)
So it was the Eisenhower. Thanks for the help! 75.75.110.235 16:48, 16 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] See also

Under what wikiproject does this article fall? Did not find anything (or it was well hidden) on either Wikipedia:WikiProject Ships or Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history concerning non-standard order for last few sections. IMO, 'See also' section should be before lengthy 'Notes and references' section for usability purposes. I do think that most people will be interested in the related topics ('See also') than lengthy (and often in small fonts) notes sections. Ǣ0ƞS 18:40, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

Oops! I edit mostly in AIrcraft Project-related articles, and didn't stop to think that Aircraft carrier is under Wikipedia:WikiProject Ships, not WP:AIR! The latter's equivelant to the "See also" section is last on the page. I have looked at several Ships pages, and they usually list "See also" after "References" and before "External links". In any event, the footer navboxes are usually palce at the extreme bottom of the ships pages, with only the categories and interwikis below them. If you want to put the "See also" section above the References, I won't revert it, but please leave the navboxes at the bottom - anywhere else looks really tacky. - BillCJ 01:32, 5 August 2007 (UTC)
Ok Ǣ0ƞS 06:52, 5 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Fair use rationale for Image:2006 CVF STOVL.jpg

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[edit] new to Wikipedia

I am new to Wikipedia and have a new found interest in aircraft carriers and fighter jets. does anyone have info to get me started on the path of learning about the ships and the history of each?

[edit] Deck Multiple - What is it?

I have heard of this term floating around with regards to aircraft carrier design. What does this term actually mean? WikiphyteMk1 (talk) 06:42, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

"Deck Multiple" refers to how much space an aircraft takes up on the flight/hangar deck, and thus how many aircraft can be efficiently operated. In the US Navy, the FA-18A/B/C/D has a Deck Multiple of 1.0 (with the wings folded). All other aircraft are compared to it. Other Deck Multiple examples: 1.2 for the F-18E/F, 2.2 for MV-22, and 2.0 for the H-46 (again, all with the wings/blades folded). E2a2j (talk) 16:12, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] angled deck; whoffo

The article mentions (several times) that modern carrier decks are angled so that the landing aircraft won't collide with the parked aircraft. But---

Consider a bolt followed by an engine failure (or a bad cat shot) on a straight deck; the plane goes in the water straight off the bow and gets run over by the CV. Crunchcrunchcrunch, bad.

Now consider a bolt followed by an engine failure (or a bad cat shot) on an angled deck; the carrier sails by the plane and rescue begins immediately. Good.

There are more reasons to angle the deck than to simply provide parking spaces. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.225.94.176 (talk) 03:26, 26 January 2008 (UTC)

For the most part, esp late-WWI and after, straight deck ships usually didn't have clear decks. During landing, esp on US carriers, there were allways planes parked on the fore deck. These are the planes the landing aircraft might collide with. Also, the decks were generally long enough that boltering would not be needed for a landing plane. To my knowledge, boltering was not really practical until the invention on the angled deck. Also, I believe both reasons, avoid collision and boltering, were factors in developing the angled deck, with the primary reason being how to allow for the higher landing speeds of jet aircraft. The angled deck solved all three related problems. Finally, even today, most cat-equipped carriers have there primary cat(s) at the bow, so the launching plane being run over by the ship is still quite possible. - BillCJ (talk) 03:43, 26 January 2008 (UTC)
If a landing missed all the deck wires then it was "barrier prang". The barrier was a steel wire "net" strung up abaft the forward park area. A barrier prang was Not Fun. Also, the angled deck meant that the ship could have a lot less arresting gear sets - costly, heavy and space consuming, as well as the added advantages of improved safety etc already discussed, because missing the target wire no longer represented such a hazard. Modern ships often only have two arrestor sets (4 deck wires), whereas older ships had as many as 5 sets (10 deck wires). Nick Thorne talk 11:33, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Landing System

This section contains a number of minor inacuuracies. In particular, the British invention was/is called the "mirror landing aid", the article linked to from the original is entirely irrelevant to Naval aviation. I plan to re-write this section, if anyone has any suggestions or objections, please post them here. I will let this sit for a few days and if there are no objections I will replace the article section with the following:


The rear of the mirror landing aid fitted to HMAS Melbourne, one of the first aircraft carriers to be completed with this then new invention.
The rear of the mirror landing aid fitted to HMAS Melbourne, one of the first aircraft carriers to be completed with this then new invention.

Another British invention was the Mirror Landing Aid. This was a gyroscopically-controlled convex mirror (in later designs replaced by a Fresnel lens) on the port side of the deck. Either side of the mirror was a line of green coloured lights, the "datum lights". A bright orange light was shone into the mirror creating the "ball" (or "meatball" in later USN parlance) which could be seen by the aviator who was about to land. The position of the ball compared to the datum lights indicated the aircraft's position in relation to the desired glidepath: if the ball was above the datum, the plane was high; below the datum, the plane was low; between the datum, the plane was on glidepath. The gyro stabilisation compensated for the movement of the flight deck due to the sea, giving a constant glidepath.

Landing optics of Charles de Gaulle, note that this system uses the later Fresnel lens design.
Landing optics of Charles de Gaulle, note that this system uses the later Fresnel lens design.

Initially, the device was thought able to allow the pilot to land without direction from the ship, previously provided by a signalman with flags or lighted wands (generally klnown as the "batsman"), or by an air traffic controller using radio. However, accident rates actually increased upon the system's initial introduction, so the current system of including the LSO (Landing Signals Officer) was developed. The LSO, who is a specially qualified and experienced Navy pilot, provides additional input to the pilot during approach advising of power requirements, position relative to glide path and when necessary the LSO may give mandatory commands such as the "cut" (reduce power completely in order to hit the deck within the landing zone to take a wire) and the "wave off" (which turns off the datum lights and ball and turns on large red flashing lights instead) which is the signal to "go round".

Nick Thorne talk 12:48, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

Most of that looks like a duplicate of the new article you've created, Mirror landing aid. This article is to be a summary, so I'd recommend keeping the section here pretty short, about the length that it is now. As far as I know, you are correct that "glide-slope indicator" is not the correct specific term, but you also need to remember this is an international encyclopedia, and the the USN uses some different terms. Since the RN no longer uses arrested landings, the only English-speaking navy currently using such systems is the USN, and its terms should also be featured, especially in a modern context. (Russian, French, and Brazilian-Portugese terms would be beyond the scope of an English language article, though they could be mentioned in the MLA article). - BillCJ (talk) 16:22, 10 March 2008 (UTC)
Actually, I copied this content onto the new article, when I realised it was needed, and expanded it a bit. I intend to do more on the new article and provide references etc when time permits.
As for this section, since it is a historical view, talking about post WWII innovations by the Brits, I would use the terminology for that time, with references to later usage as I have suggested. Are you happy with the substitution of the new section, as I have proposed? Frankly the current section is actually quite misleading and seems to have been written by someone entirely unfamiliar with naval aviation. BTW, my experience was with the RAN, as you probably realised from the photos, and by my time the RAN had almost completely changed over to US terminology for carrier operations. As for this article, perhaps I should just substirute my first paragraph for the current content and leave those interested to look at the new article for more info. If I go that way, should I include both photo here, or only one, and if so which. I intend to put the French photo into the new article on my next edit, I just ran out of time the other night.Nick Thorne talk 06:05, 11 March 2008 (UTC)

OK, I understand your view on terminology, and agree it's the best to use period terminology. As to the above proposed section, I think the shortened version would be best. I think the French pic is probably best for this page, as the MLA in Melbourne image is dark, and from the non-business side.

On a separate point, I've been thinking for a while about trying to start an article on carrier operations, specifically on deck procedures for launching, recovery, spotting etc. There ought to be enough information available on US supercarrier operations to make a good, descriptive, fully-sourced article, but additions on carrier ops on smaller deck carriers as comparisons would be good too. Sound interesting? - BillCJ (talk) 07:56, 11 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Easter egg links

A new edit added some Easter egg pipe links (WP:EGG) where "fleet" and "light" carriers redirect to certain classes of carrier. Wouldn't it be more useful (and less tricky for the reader) to rewrite the section so that the connections are brought to the fore? Binksternet (talk) 00:01, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

This sentence is specifically troublesome: "Subsequently the US was able to build up large numbers of aircraft aboard a mixture of [[Essex_class_aircraft_carrier|''fleet'']], [[Independence_class_aircraft_carrier|''light'']] and (newly commissioned) [[Escort_carriers|''escort carriers'']], primarily with the introduction of the [[Essex class aircraft carrier|Essex class]] in 1943."
Perhaps this would work better: "Subsequently the US was able to build up large numbers of aircraft aboard a mixture of fleet carriers, light carriers and newly commissioned escort carriers, primarily with the introduction of the Essex class fleet carriers in 1943." Binksternet (talk) 07:22, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Totally NOT a "GA"

How can this possibly be rated GA? It has entire sections without any references, and only 22 notes total (far too few for such a major article). I have had better-referenced articles downgraded to Start from B because of this issue! I recommend this be downgraded to B until someone puts in the work to source all that prose. Rep07 (talk) 00:51, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Can we maybe get a link to the article in question? TomStar81 (Talk) 01:56, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Nevermind, I got cross-paged and thought I was on the MILHIST talk page rather than the aircraft carrier talk page. Thats embarressing... TomStar81 (Talk) 02:06, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

  • The instructions for removing the GA-class status can be found here, if you are interested in knocking this article don a notch. TomStar81 (Talk) 02:09, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] GA Sweeps

This article has been reviewed as part of Wikipedia:WikiProject Good articles/Project quality task force in an effort to ensure all listed Good articles continue to meet the Good article criteria. In reviewing the article, I have found there are a great many issues that may need to be addressed. The first and most noticable of these problems is sourcing; Most of the article is barely sourced at all and there are many outstanding [citation needed] tags. Where the article is sourced, the references are often improperly formatted. If someone takes responsibility for this problem and begins to fix it then I will work with them to deal with the other problems that beset this article. I will check back and if progress is being made and issues are being addressed, then work can continue. If no one has come forward in the next seven days however, this article will be delisted (such a decision may be challenged through WP:GAR). If improved after it has been delisted, it may be nominated at WP:GAN. Feel free to drop a message on my talk page if you have any questions, and many thanks for all the hard work that has gone into this article thus far. Regards,--Jackyd101 (talk) 23:36, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

Nothing really systematic has happened in the last seven days, so I'm going to delist. If people disagree, take it to WP:GAR, but this article has no hope of passing as is. If contributors want advice on how to improve the article, please drop a line on my talk page.--Jackyd101 (talk) 22:17, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] What is not an aircraft carrier

It seems to me that somewhere in that large introduction (though I would be pressed to be more succinct) it needs to say what is not an aircraft carrier given the section: Other aircraft carriers

  • ASW carrier
  • Escort carrier
  • Helicopter carrier
  • Light aircraft carrier
  • Supercarrier
  • Amphibious assault ship
  • Seaplane tender
  • Balloon carrier
  • Airborne aircraft carrier
  • Submarine aircraft carrier
  • Land mobile aircraft carrier

Clearly the Escort carrier, Light aircraft carrier, and Supercarrier are all cognates of the aircraft carrier as defined, but seaplanes and helicopters are also aircraft.

On an unrelated subject, the Submarine aircraft carrier needs to be renamed into Aircraft carrying submarine --mrg3105 (comms) ♠♥♦♣ 06:51, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] First angled flight deck

The first trials of an angled flight deck were made on HMS Triumph in 1952. This is a documented fact. USS Antietum was the first US carrier to be modified with a port side extension for an angled deck (in December of that year), HMS Centaur being the first British ship so modified. This does not make either of these ships the first to have had an angled deck, as the extension was only the logical progression of the principle that had been already established on Triumph. BTW, the first ship to be actually completed with an angled deck was HMS Ark Royal.

Please do not try to modify history, and when you do edit an article, do not do so in a way that implies that an existing reference supports your entry unless it actually does so. In this case Sturtivant's book does not make the claimed statements about the Antietum.Nick Thorne talk 13:28, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Refit of HMS Formidable

My father was a 1st class stoker on HMS Formidable during the second world war. I remember him telling me it went for a refit and repair in the US, I should have asked him more when I could have, but why the US. Did Britain not have the capability at the time? Joe Deagan (talk) 22:48, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

I can not say for sure, but I would venture an educated guess that the refit was done here for one of three reasons: To protect the ship from German air raids, to prevent German U-boats from sinking cargo ships with the parts for repair, or possible becuase the ship was leant to Britian under the leand-lease act, in which case it would be a a U.S. design and thus better suited to repair in the antion of its origin. Mind you, these are just guess, but they do hold some wieght. TomStar81 (Talk) 23:33, 9 June 2008 (UTC)
Formidable was an Illustrious class aircraft carrier and so was of British design and construction. Generally, repairs/refits were consucted in the US because of capacity constraints in British ship yards at the time. Formidable had sustained serious damage and there simply was not the capacity to effect the needed major repairs in the UK in March 1941.Nick Thorne talk 23:54, 9 June 2008 (UTC)
Thanks for that, I know he was aboard ship when it was damaged, but like many servicemen during a major conflict he didn't talk much about his experiences. Any information I got had to be dragged out of him. And thanks for the link to the HMS Formidable article, I should have thought to check it out! :) Joe Deagan (talk) 00:12, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Is the fact that British aircraft carriers had to have repairs/refits in the US during world war II important enough to be added to the article? Joe Deagan (talk) 09:32, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

It wasn't just aircraft carriers, but it wasn't a universal thing. Lots of ships were damaged, lots of them needed repairing. US Atlantic shipyards had the capacity to undertake these repairs when British yards were busy (i.e. quite a lot in early 1941), but that's not to say that British yards weren't repairing British ships. Wiki-Ed (talk) 09:37, 11 June 2008 (UTC)
I see, it was only when the British shipyards were full to capacity that they were taken to the US! Maybe it's not enough to be included after all. :) Joe Deagan (talk) 10:29, 11 June 2008 (UTC)