The seventh of December, 1941 witnessed a change in the balance of forces that comprised theUnited States Navy, When the Pearl Harbor attack nearly wiped out the Pacific fleet's traditional battle line, America was then compelled to concentrate on developing naval air power to match that of the of Japanese air fleet. Thus, the United States aircraft carrier came into her own.


We at Prairie Aviation Museum are trying to show just a small part of that history with our own carrier fleet. During the war twenty-two U.S. Navy fleet carriers (CVs) and nine small aircraft carriers (CVLs) served in World War II. Eight ships were built before the war started and the rest were built during the war. (Most of the carriers were named after American battles and famous former Navy ships.)

The eight carriers built before the war are organized into the following classes:

Langley (single ship) - converted from a collier

Ranger (single ship) - built to be a carrier

Yorktown Class (Yorktown, Enterprise, Hornet) - based on an expanded Ranger design
 
Lexington Class (Lexington & Saratoga) - converted from battle cruisers

Wasp (single ship) - design restricted due to limited tonnage remaining in the Washington treaty
       
During the war two classes of ships were built:

The Essex Class - largest class of carriers ever built (26 were completed)

The Independence Class - most were converted from light cruisers during construction (9 were completed)
       
Operations
For the first 18 months of the conflict, the U.S. had barely enough carriers to hold the line let alone project power in the Pacific. At one point in November 1942, only two carriers were operational in the Pacific (four carriers had been sunk.)

At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941), three operational carriers were stationed in the Pacific: Enterprise, Lexington, and Saratoga. (Langley was also in the Pacific but in October 1936 it had been converted from an operational carrier to a seaplane tender.) The other four carriers were located in the Atlantic. Yorktown and Hornet were transferred to the Pacific in December 1941 and March 1942. Wasp entered the Pacific in June 1942. Ranger was patch to the Pacific after a overhaul in July 1944.

First US carrier: USS Langley (CV-1)

First US carrier built from start as a carrier: USS Ranger (CV-4)

First US carrier lost in World War II: USS Lexington (CV-2), lost 8 May 1942

Most decorated US ship in World War II: USS Enterprise (CV-6), earned 20 out a possible 22 battle stars

Shortest career: Hornet (CV-8), 12 months, commissioned October 1941 and lost 27 October 1942