List of sunken aircraft carriers
Encyclopedia
The following is a list of sunken aircraft carriers, with each of the aircraft carriers listed in alphabetical order.
The carriers listed in boldface were scuttled during training exercises or lost for other non-combat causes. The number of aircraft carried is for reference only, as the actual load could vary according to the mission and dates.
: 72-aircraft fleet carrier ; crippled by dive bombers from the carrier USS Enterprise
during the Battle of Midway
(4 June 1942), it was scuttled by torpedoes fired from the Japanese destroyer Makigumo.
: 65-aircraft fleet carrier ; sunk by submarine on 19 June 1944 during the Battle of the Philippine Sea
.
The carriers listed in boldface were scuttled during training exercises or lost for other non-combat causes. The number of aircraft carried is for reference only, as the actual load could vary according to the mission and dates.
- AkagiJapanese aircraft carrier AkagiAkagi was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy , originally begun as an . She was converted while still under construction to an aircraft carrier under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty...
: 66-aircraft fleet carrier ; crippled by dive bombers from the carrier USS EnterpriseUSS EnterpriseUSS Enterprise may refer to the following vessels:-United States of America:In watercraft, the prefix "USS" or "U.S.S." is applied to ships commissioned by and for the United States Navy. Private citizens also use the name unofficially...
during the Battle of MidwayBattle of MidwayThe Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
(4 June 1942), it was scuttled the following morning by torpedoes fired from the Japanese destroyers ArashiJapanese destroyer ArashiArashi was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy.The Arashi ship played a vital role in World War II by inadvertently guiding US attack planes to the Japanese carrier fleet at the Battle of Midway. It had been separated from the fleet during an attack on the USS Nautilus and was steaming to join them...
, HagikazeJapanese destroyer HagikazeHagikaze was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Participating at the Battle of Midway, the heavily damaged was scuttled by her two torpedoes, Kaga being fatally damaged by US aircraft of during the battle....
, MaikazeJapanese destroyer MaikazeMaikaze was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy.On 17 February 1944, while evacuating convoys to Yokosuka from Truk following Allied attack on Truk, Maikaze, the cruiser , and the auxiliary cruiser Akagi Maru were sunk by gunfire from the cruisers and 40 miles northwest of Truk...
, and NowakiJapanese destroyer Nowakiwas a Kagero-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy.On 3 March 1942 the Nowaki help sink the gunboat . In the Battle off Samar on 25 October 1944, Nowaki took part in the torpedo attack on the U.S. escort carriers and assisted in sinking of...
.
- Akitsu MaruJapanese aircraft carrier Akitsu MaruAkitsu Maru was a Japanese escort aircraft carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Army. In some sources Akitsu Maru and her sister ship Nigitsu Maru are also considered to be the first amphibious assault ships.-Design features:...
: 8-aircraft escort carrier (converted liner) ; sunk in the East China SeaEast China SeaThe East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
by submarine USS QueenfishUSS Queenfish (SS-393)USS Queenfish , a Balao-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the queenfish, a small food fish found off the Pacific coast of North America....
15 November 1944 while escorting a convoy ferrying troops from Manchuria to Philippines.
- Amagi : 66-aircraft fleet carrier ; destroyed in drydock during the Great Kantō Earthquake1923 Great Kanto earthquakeThe struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
(1 September 1923) while being converted from a battlecruiser.
- AmagiJapanese aircraft carrier Amagiwas a of the Imperial Japanese Navy built during World War II. Named after Mount Amagi, and completed late in the war; she never embarked her complement of aircraft and did not participate in any battles. The ship capsized in July 1945 after being hit multiple times during airstrikes by American...
: 66-aircraft fleet carrier ; sunk during the massive attack on Kure Harbour (24 July 1945) by aircraft of Royal Navy Task Force 37 (HMS FormidableHMS FormidableFive ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Formidable. was an 80-gun second rate captured from the French at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759, and broken up in 1768. was a 90-gun second rate launched in 1777. She fought at the Battle of Ushant and the Battle of the Saintes, was converted to...
, HMS IndefatigableHMS Indefatigable (R10)HMS Indefatigable was an Implacable-class aircraft carrier of the British Royal Navy. Indefatigable was present at the formal surrender of the Japanese on 2 September in Tokyo Bay. She later helped to repatriate Allied POWs held in Japan and was used as a spotting ship for later US nuclear tests in...
, and HMS VictoriousHMS VictoriousFive ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Victorious.*The first Victorious, launched in 1785 at Blackwall Yard, London, was a third-rate ship of the line, with an armament of 74 guns....
) and US Navy Task Force 38 .gif", event)' onMouseout='HidePop("87634")' href="/topics/USS_Yorktown_(CV-10)">USS Yorktown IIUSS Yorktown (CV-10)USS Yorktown is one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. She is named after the Battle of Yorktown of the American Revolutionary War, and is the fourth U.S. Navy ship to bear the name...
, , , , , , , , e ).
- AmericaUSS America (CV-66)The USS America was one of four Kitty Hawk-class super carriers built for the United States Navy in the 1960s. Commissioned in 1965, she spent most of her career in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, but did make three Pacific deployments serving in the Vietnam War. She also served in operations...
: 79-aircraft carrier ; scuttled off Cape HatterasCape HatterasCape Hatteras is a cape on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that protrudes the farthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of the Atlantic coast of North America...
on 14 May 2005, after serving for over four weeks as a target for live-fire tests.
- AquilaItalian aircraft carrier AquilaAquila was an Italian aircraft carrier converted from the trans-Atlantic passenger liner during World War II. Work on Aquila began in late 1941 at the Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa and continued for the next two years. With the signing of the Italian armistice on 8 September 1943, however, all work...
: 51-aircraft fleet carrier (converted liner) ; unfinished and heavily damaged, it was sunk in shallow waters by Italian combat swimmers to prevent it being used by the Germans to block GenovaGénovaGénova may refer to:* Spanish spelling of the city of Genoa, Italy* Génova, Quindío, a municipality in the department of Quindío, Colombia* Génova, Quetzaltenango, a municipality in the department of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala...
harbour on 19 April 1945.
- Ark RoyalHMS Ark Royal (91)HMS Ark Royal was an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy that served during the Second World War.Designed in 1934 to fit the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty, Ark Royal was built by Cammell Laird and Company, Ltd. at Birkenhead, England, and completed in November 1938. Her design...
: 60-aircraft fleet carrier ; torpedoed by German submarine U-81 on 14 November 1941, sank the following day approx 30 miles from GibraltarGibraltarGibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
while under tow.
- AudacityHMS Audacity (D10)|HMS Audacity was a British escort carrier of the Second World War and the first of her kind. She was originally the German merchant ship Hannover, captured by the Royal Navy in the West Indies in March 1940 and renamed Sinbad, then Empire Audacity. She was converted and commissioned as HMS Empire...
: 8-aircraft escort carrier (converted merchant ship) ; sunk by German submarine U-751German submarine U-751German submarine U-751 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. Built as werk 134 of the Kriegsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, she was commissioned on 31 January 1941, she served with 7th U-Boat Flotilla until 1 June as a training boat, and...
on 21 December 1941 while escorting convoy HG 76.
- AvengerHMS Avenger (D14)HMS Avenger was a Royal Navy escort aircraft carrier during the Second World War. In 1939 she was laid down as the merchant ship Rio-Hudson at the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company yard in Chester, Pennsylvania. Launched on 27 November 1940, she was converted to an escort carrier and transferred...
: 15-aircraft escort carrier (converted merchant ship) ; sunk by German submarine U-151German submarine U-151U-151 may refer to one of the following German submarines:* SM U-151, the lead ship of the Type U 151 class of submarines; launched in 1917 and that served in the First World War until surrendered to France; sunk as target ship on 7 June 1921...
on 15 November 1942 just off GibraltarGibraltarGibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, while providing air cover to Operation TorchOperation TorchOperation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
.
- Bismarck SeaUSS Bismarck Sea (CVE-95)USS Bismarck Sea was a Casablanca class escort carrier of the United States Navy. She was launched on 17 April 1944 by Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, Washington, under a Maritime Commission contract as Alikula Bay; sponsored by Mrs. M. C...
: 27-aircraft escort carrier ; sunk by two Japanese kamikazeKamikazeThe were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
aircraft off Iwo JimaBattle of Iwo JimaThe Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
on 21 February 1945.
- Block IslandUSS Block Island (CVE-21)USS Block Island was a for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first of two escort carriers named after Block Island Sound off Rhode Island. Block Island was launched on 6 June 1942 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation of Seattle, Washington, under a Maritime Commission...
: 24-aircraft escort carrier ; sunk by German submarine U-549 on 29 May 1944 off the Canary IslandsCanary IslandsThe Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
.
- ChitoseJapanese aircraft carrier Chitosewas a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. It should not be confused with the earlier cruiser of the same name. First laid down as a seaplane tender in 1934 at Kure Navy yard, the ship originally carried Kawanishi E7K Type 94 "Alf" and Nakajima E8N Type 95...
: 30-aircraft light carrier (converted seaplanes tender) ; sunk by torpedo bombers from the carrier on 25 October 1944 off Cape Engaño, during the Battle of Leyte GulfBattle of Leyte GulfThe Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
.
- ChiyodaJapanese aircraft carrier Chiyodawas an Chitose class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was originally built as a seaplane carrier, before being converted to a light carrier from March to December 1943.She was damaged in the Battle of the Philippine Sea....
: 30-aircraft light carrier (converted seaplanes tender) ; crippled by bombers from the carriers USS FranklinUSS Franklin (CV-13)The USS Franklin , nicknamed "Big Ben," was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy, and the fifth US Navy ship to bear the name. Commissioned in January 1944, she served in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, earning four battle stars...
and USS LexingtonUSS Lexington (CV-16)USS Lexington , known as "The Blue Ghost", is one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. The ship, the fifth US Navy ship to bear the name, is named in honor of the Revolutionary War Battle of Lexington...
, and later sunk by the cruisers USS Santa FeUSS Santa Fe (CL-60)USS Santa Fe , a Cleveland-class light cruiser was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico.-Construction:...
, USS MobileUSS Mobile (CL-63)USS Mobile was Cleveland-class light cruiser of the United States Navy. She was the third ship named for Mobile, Alabama.She was laid down on 14 April 1941 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Virginia; launched on 15 May 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Harry T. Hartwell; and...
, USS WichitaUSS Wichita (CA-45)USS Wichita was a heavy cruiser of the United States Navy. The lead ship and only member of her class, she was the first ship named after the city of Wichita, Kansas...
and USS New OrleansUSS New Orleans (CA-32)USS New Orleans was a United States Navy heavy cruiser, the lead ship of her class. The New Orleans-class represented the last of the Treaty Cruisers, built to the specifications and standards of the Washington Naval Treaty. Originally, was the lead ship of this class...
on 25 October 1944 off Cape Engaño, during the Battle of Leyte GulfBattle of Leyte GulfThe Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
.
- ChuyoJapanese aircraft carrier ChuyoChūyō was a Taiyō-class escort carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II.-Construction and Conversion:The was an ocean liner of the Nippon Yusen shipping line, laid down in the Mitsubishi shipyard in Nagasaki in May 1938, launched in May 1939 and commissioned on 23 March 1940...
: 27-aircraft escort carrier (converted liner) ; sunk by submarine near HachijōjimaHachijojimais a volcanic Japanese island in the Philippine Sea, administered by Tōkyō and located approximately south of the Special Wards of Tōkyō. It is the southernmost and most isolated of the Izu Seven Islands group of the seven northern islands of the Izu archipelago...
Island on 4 December 1943.
- CourageousHMS Courageous (50)HMS Courageous was the lead ship of the cruisers built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. Designed to support the Baltic Project championed by the First Sea Lord, John Fisher, the ship was very lightly armoured and armed with only a few heavy guns. Courageous was completed in late...
: 48-aircraft fleet carrier (converted battlecruiser) ; sunk by the German submarine U-29German submarine U-29 (1936)German submarine U-29 was a Type VIIA U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.She was laid down on 2 January 1936 and commissioned on 10 November 1936. During her career U-29 was involved in seven war patrols under the command of Kapitänleutnant Otto Schuhart...
on 17 September 1939 while performing anti-submarine patrol duties off the coast of Ireland.
- DasherHMS Dasher (D37)HMS Dasher was a British Royal Navy aircraft carrier, of the Avenger class – converted merchant vessels – and one of the shortest lived escort carriers.-Design and description:...
: 15-aircraft escort carrier (converted merchant ship); sunk on March 27 1943 off the Firth of ClydeFirth of ClydeThe Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
after a major internal explosion due to unknown causes.
- EagleHMS Eagle (1918)HMS Eagle was an early aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy. Ordered by Chile as the Almirante Cochrane, she was laid down before World War I. In early 1918 she was purchased by Britain for conversion to an aircraft carrier; this work was finished in 1924...
: 30-aircraft fleet carrier ; sunk by the German submarine U-73 on 11 August 1942, while providing air cover to a convoy during Operation PedestalOperation PedestalOperation Pedestal was a British operation to get desperately needed supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War. Malta was the base from which surface ships, submarines and aircraft attacked Axis convoys carrying essential supplies to the Italian and German armies...
.
- Gambier BayUSS Gambier Bay (CVE-73)USS Gambier Bay was a Casablanca-class escort carrier of the United States Navy. She was sunk in the Battle off Samar after helping to turn back a much larger attacking Japanese surface force....
: 28-aircraft escort carrier; sunk by Japanese surface ships of Center Force (including the battleship YamatoJapanese battleship Yamato, named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was the lead ship of the Yamato class of battleships that served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She and her sister ship, Musashi, were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing...
: on 25 October 1944 during the Battle off SamarBattle off SamarThe Battle off Samar was the centermost action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the largest naval battles in history, which took place in the Philippine Sea off Samar Island, in the Philippines on 25 October 1944...
, part of the larger Battle of Leyte GulfBattle of Leyte GulfThe Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
.
- Glorious : 48-aircraft fleet carrier (converted battlecruiser); sunk by gunfire of the German battleships and on June 8, 1940 while returning to Scapa FlowScapa Flowright|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
during Operation AlphabetOperation AlphabetOperation Alphabet was an evacuation, authorized on May 24, 1940, of Allied troops from the harbour of Narvik in northern Norway marking the success of Nazi Germany's Operation Weserübung of April 9 and the end of the Allied campaign in Norway during World War II...
.
- Graf ZeppelinGerman aircraft carrier Graf ZeppelinGerman aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin was the lead ship in a class of two carriers ordered by the Kriegsmarine. She was the only aircraft carrier launched by Germany during World War II and represented part of the Kriegsmarine's attempt to create a well-balanced oceangoing fleet, capable of...
: 42-aircraft fleet carrier ; unfinished and heavily damaged, she was refloated by the USSR after WW2 and sunk off Łeba harbour as a bomb and torpedo target on 16 August 1947.
- HermesHMS Hermes (95)HMS Hermes was an aircraft carrier built for the Royal Navy. The ship was begun during World War I and finished after the war ended. She was the world's first ship to be designed and built as an aircraft carrier, although the Imperial Japanese Navy's was the first to be commissioned...
: 20-aircraft fleet carrier ; sunk by aircraft launched from the Japanese carriers , , , , , and off BatticaloaBatticaloaBatticaloa is a city in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka. It is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. It is on the east coast, south by south east of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island.-Etymology:...
(Sri Lanka) on April 9, 1942, during the Japanese Operation C.
- HiyōJapanese aircraft carrier HiyoHiyō was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Begun as an ocean liner in 1939, she was purchased by the Navy Ministry in 1941 for conversion to an aircraft carrier...
: 53-aircraft fleet carrier ; sunk by torpedo bombers launched by the carrier on 21 June 1944 during the Battle of the Philippine SeaBattle of the Philippine SeaThe Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II which effectively eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War...
.
- HiryūJapanese aircraft carrier Hiryuwas a modified Sōryū-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was one of the carriers that began the Pacific War with the attack on Pearl Harbor...
: 53-aircraft fleet carrier ; crippled by dive bombers from the carrier USS EnterpriseUSS EnterpriseUSS Enterprise may refer to the following vessels:-United States of America:In watercraft, the prefix "USS" or "U.S.S." is applied to ships commissioned by and for the United States Navy. Private citizens also use the name unofficially...
during the Battle of MidwayBattle of MidwayThe Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
(4 June 1942), it was scuttled the following day by torpedoes fired from the Japanese destroyer Makigumo.
- HornetUSS Hornet (CV-8)USS Hornet CV-8, the seventh ship to carry the name Hornet, was a of the United States Navy. During World War II in the Pacific Theater, she launched the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and participated in the Battle of Midway and the Buin-Faisi-Tonolai Raid...
: 90-aircraft fleet carrier ; crippled by torpedo bombers and dive bombers from the Japanese Fast Carriers Force (carriers , , , and ) on 27 October 1942 during the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, and after an unsuccesfull attempt tow and then to scuttle her, she was finally sunk by torpedoes from the Japanese destroyers and
- IndependenceUSS Independence (CVL-22)The fourth USS Independence was a United States Navy light aircraft carrier, lead ship of her class.-Construction and deployment:...
: 30-aircraft light carrier ; heavily damaged as a target ship during the Operation CrossroadsOperation CrossroadsOperation Crossroads was a series of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. It was the first test of a nuclear weapon after the Trinity nuclear test in July 1945...
nuclear weapons test on Bikini AtollBikini AtollBikini Atoll is an atoll, listed as a World Heritage Site, in the Micronesian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands....
(25 July 1946), was towed to San Francisco for decontamination tests and scuttled on 29 September 1951 off Farallon IslandsFarallon IslandsThe Farallon Islands, or Farallones , are a group of islands and sea stacks in the Gulf of the Farallones, off the coast of San Francisco, California, USA. They lie outside the Golden Gate and south of Point Reyes, and are visible from the mainland on clear days...
.
: 72-aircraft fleet carrier ; crippled by dive bombers from the carrier USS Enterprise
USS Enterprise
USS Enterprise may refer to the following vessels:-United States of America:In watercraft, the prefix "USS" or "U.S.S." is applied to ships commissioned by and for the United States Navy. Private citizens also use the name unofficially...
during the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
(4 June 1942), it was scuttled by torpedoes fired from the Japanese destroyer Makigumo.
- LangleyUSS Langley (CV-1)USS Langley was the United States Navy's first aircraft carrier, converted in 1920 from the collier USS Jupiter , and also the U.S. Navy's first electrically propelled ship...
: 34-aircraft fleet carrier (converted collier) ; later converted to a seaplane tender, crippled by Japanese dive bombers while entering Tjilatjap harbor (Java) on 27 February 1942 and scuttled by torpedoes and gunfire from the escorting ships.
- LexingtonUSS Lexington (CV-2)USS Lexington , nicknamed the "Gray Lady" or "Lady Lex," was an early aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. She was the lead ship of the , though her sister ship was commissioned a month earlier...
: 91-aircraft fleet carrier ; sunk by torpedo bombers from the Japanese carriers and on 8 May 1942 during the Battle of the Coral SeaBattle of the Coral SeaThe Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
.
- Liscome BayUSS Liscome Bay (CVE-56)USS Liscome Bay , a during World War II, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Liscome Bay in Dall Island in the Alexander Archipelago off Alaska's southeast coast...
: 28-aircraft escort carrier; sunk by Japanese submarine I-175Kaidai class submarineThe was a type of 1st class submarine operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy before and during World War II. The type name, was shortened to . All Kaidai class submarines originally had a two digit boat name, from I-51 onwards. On 20 May 1942, all Kaidai submarines added a '1' to their name. For...
on 24 November 1943 off Butaritari Island.
- Ommaney BayUSS Ommaney Bay (CVE-79)USS Ommaney Bay was a Casablanca-class escort carrier of the United States Navy, named for Ommaney Bay, Alaska.Ommaney Bay, formerly MC hull 1116, was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract 6 October 1943 by Kaiser Company, Inc., Vancouver, Washington; launched 29 December 1943, sponsored...
: 28-aircraft escort carrier; crippled by a Japanese kamikazeKamikazeThe were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
aircraft in the Sulu SeaSulu SeaThe Sulu Sea is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipelago. Borneo is found to the southwest and Visayas to the northeast.Sulu Sea contains a number of...
on 4 January 1945 and scuttled with a torpedo by the escorting destroyer USS BurnsUSS Burns (DD-588)USS Hugh Burns , a , was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Captain Hugh Otway Burns , a privateer in the War of 1812....
.
- OriskanyUSS Oriskany (CV-34)USS Oriskany – nicknamed Mighty O, The O-boat, and Toasted O – was one of 24 s completed during or shortly after World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the third US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for the Revolutionary War Battle of Oriskany.The history of...
: 91-aircraft fleet carrier ; scuttled as an artificial reef off PensacolaPensacolaPensacola is a city in the western part of the U.S. state of Florida.Pensacola may also refer to:* Pensacola people, a group of Native Americans* A number of places in the Florida:** Pensacola Bay** Pensacola Regional Airport...
(17 May 2006).
- PrincetonUSS Princeton (CVL-23)The fourth USS Princeton was a United States Navy lost at the battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944.-Construction and deployment:The ship was laid down as the Tallahassee by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey, 2 June 1941...
: 45-aircraft light carrier ; sunk by a single bomb from a single land-based Japanese bomber on 24 October 1944 during the Battle of Leyte GulfBattle of Leyte GulfThe Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
.
- RyūjōJapanese aircraft carrier RyujoRyūjō was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was laid down by Mitsubishi at Yokohama in 1929, launched in 1931 and commissioned on 9 May 1933. Her final design resulted in a top-heavy unstable vessel and within a year she was back at Kure Naval Yard for modification...
: 48-aircraft light carrier ; sunk by torpedo bombers and dive bombers from the carrier on 24 August 1942, during the Battle of the Eastern SolomonsBattle of the Eastern SolomonsThe naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons (also known as the Battle of the Stewart Islands and, in Japanese sources, as the , took place on 24–25 August 1942, and was the third carrier battle of the Pacific campaign...
.
- Saint LoUSS St. Lo (CVE-63)USS St. Lo was a of the United States Navy during World War II. On 25 October 1944, St. Lo became the first major warship to sink as the result of a kamikaze attack. The attack occurred during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.St...
: 28-aircraft escort carrier; sunk by a Japanese kamikazeKamikazeThe were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
aircraft on 25 October 1944 during the Battle off SamarBattle off SamarThe Battle off Samar was the centermost action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the largest naval battles in history, which took place in the Philippine Sea off Samar Island, in the Philippines on 25 October 1944...
, part of the larger Battle of Leyte GulfBattle of Leyte GulfThe Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
.
- SaratogaUSS Saratoga (CV-3)USS Saratoga was the second aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the fifth ship to bear her name. She was commissioned one month earlier than her sister and class leader, , which is the third actually commissioned after and Saratoga...
: 91-aircraft fleet carrier (converted from a battlecruiser) ; sunk as target ship during Operation CrossroadsOperation CrossroadsOperation Crossroads was a series of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. It was the first test of a nuclear weapon after the Trinity nuclear test in July 1945...
nuclear weapons test on Bikini AtollBikini AtollBikini Atoll is an atoll, listed as a World Heritage Site, in the Micronesian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands....
(25 July 1946)
- ShinanoJapanese aircraft carrier Shinanonamed after the ancient Shinano Province, was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Initially laid down as the third of the battleships, Shinano′s partially complete hull was converted to an aircraft carrier in 1942, midway through construction. Over the next two...
: 47-aircraft fleet carrier ; sunk by submarine on 29 November 1944 , while transferring from Yokosuka to KureKureKure can refer to:*KURE, a radio station in Ames, Iowa*Kure Software Koubou, Japanese video game development company*Kure, Hiroshima , a city in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan**Kure Line, a rail line in the city...
to complete fittings.
- ShinyoJapanese aircraft carrier Shinyowas an escort carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy, converted from the German ocean liner , which had been purchased by the Japanese Navy. The liner had been trapped in Kure, Japan following the outbreak of World War II in Europe, which prevented any attempt for the ship to return to...
: 27-aircraft escort carrier (converted liner); sunk by submarine on 17 November 1944, while escorting a convoy to SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
- ShōhōJapanese aircraft carrier ShohoShōhō , the lead ship of her class, was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II...
: 30-aircraft light carrier (converted submarines tender) ; sunk by torpedo bombers and dive bombers from the carriers USS LexingtonUSS Lexington (CV-2)USS Lexington , nicknamed the "Gray Lady" or "Lady Lex," was an early aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. She was the lead ship of the , though her sister ship was commissioned a month earlier...
and USS YorktownUSS Yorktown (CV-5)was an aircraft carrier commissioned in the United States Navy from 1937 until she was sunk at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. She was named after the Battle of Yorktown in 1781 and the lead ship of the Yorktown class which was designed after lessons learned from operations with the large...
on 6 May 1942 during the Battle of the Coral SeaBattle of the Coral SeaThe Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
.
- ShōkakuJapanese aircraft carrier ShokakuShōkaku was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the lead ship of her class. Along with her sister ship , she took part in several key naval battles during the Pacific War, including the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands...
: 72-aircraft fleet carrier ; sunk by submarine on 19 June 1944 during the Battle of the Philippine SeaBattle of the Philippine SeaThe Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II which effectively eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War...
.
- SōryūJapanese aircraft carrier Soryuwas an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During the Second World War, she took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Port Darwin and raids in the Indian Ocean before being sunk at the Battle of Midway.-Design:...
: 57-aircraft fleet carrier ; sunk by dive bombers from the carrier USS YorktownUSS Yorktown (CV-5)was an aircraft carrier commissioned in the United States Navy from 1937 until she was sunk at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. She was named after the Battle of Yorktown in 1781 and the lead ship of the Yorktown class which was designed after lessons learned from operations with the large...
. during the Battle of MidwayBattle of MidwayThe Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
(4 June 1942).
- SparvieroItalian aircraft carrier SparvieroSparviero was an Italian aircraft carrier designed and built during World War II. She was originally the ocean liner MS Augustus. The conversion was started in 1942 and was almost completed, but the ship was never delivered to the Regia Marina...
: 34-aircraft light carrier (converted liner) ; unfinished, scuttled by the Germans on 5 October 1944 to block the access to GenovaGénovaGénova may refer to:* Spanish spelling of the city of Genoa, Italy* Génova, Quindío, a municipality in the department of Quindío, Colombia* Génova, Quetzaltenango, a municipality in the department of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala...
harbour.
: 65-aircraft fleet carrier ; sunk by submarine on 19 June 1944 during the Battle of the Philippine Sea
Battle of the Philippine Sea
The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II which effectively eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War...
.
- UnryūJapanese aircraft carrier UnryuThe Japanese aircraft carrier was a fleet aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy which served during World War II. She was commissioned on 6 August 1944 and eventually torpedoed and sunk by US submarine in the East China Sea on 19 December that same year...
: 57-aircraft light carrier ; sunk by submarine in the East China SeaEast China SeaThe East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
on 19 December 1944, while en route to LuzonLuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
Island.
- UnyoJapanese aircraft carrier UnyoUnyō was a Taiyō-class escort carrier operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II.-Construction and conversion:The liner of the shipping line Nippon Yusen, laid down in the Mitsubishi shipyard in Nagasaki in December 1938, launched in October 1939 and commissioned in July 1940, was...
; 27-aircraft escort carrier (converted liner) ; sunk by submarine off YokohamaYokohamais the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
on 17 September 1944.
- WaspUSS Wasp (CV-7)USS Wasp was a United States Navy aircraft carrier. The eighth Navy ship of that name, she was the sole ship of her class. Built to use up the remaining tonnage allowed to the U.S. for aircraft carriers under the treaties of the time, she was built on a reduced-size version of the Yorktown-class...
: 76-aircraft fleet carrier : sunk by the Japanese submarine SE of San Cristobal IslandMakiraThe island of Makira is the largest island of Makira-Ulawa Province in the Solomon Islands. The island is located east of Guadalcanal and south of Malaita. The largest and capital city is Kirakira....
on 15 September 1942 while escorting a troopships convoy to Guadalcanal.
- YorktownUSS Yorktown (CV-5)was an aircraft carrier commissioned in the United States Navy from 1937 until she was sunk at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. She was named after the Battle of Yorktown in 1781 and the lead ship of the Yorktown class which was designed after lessons learned from operations with the large...
: 90-aircraft fleet carrier ; crippled by dive bombers and torpedo bombers from the Japanese carrier HiryūJapanese aircraft carrier Hiryuwas a modified Sōryū-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was one of the carriers that began the Pacific War with the attack on Pearl Harbor...
on 4 June 1942 during the Battle of MidwayBattle of MidwayThe Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
, she was torpedoed the following day by the Japanese submarine I-168Japanese submarine I-168I-168 was a Kaidai class submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. At the Battle of Midway she sank two American warships: the aircraft carrier and the destroyer . At that time she was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Yahachi Tanabe.-Early career:The submarine was completed...
while under tow and sank in the early morning of June 7, 1942.
- ZuihōJapanese aircraft carrier Zuihowas a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During the Second World War, she participated in many operations, including the battles of Santa Cruz, Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf where she was finally sunk by American aircraft.-Design:...
: 30-aircraft light carrier (converted submarines tender) ; sunk by aircraft from US Navy Task Force 38 (carriers USS IntrepidUSS Intrepid (CV-11)USS Intrepid , also known as The Fighting "I", is one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. She is the fourth US Navy ship to bear the name. Commissioned in August 1943, Intrepid participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, most notably the Battle...
, USS FranklinUSS Franklin (CV-13)The USS Franklin , nicknamed "Big Ben," was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy, and the fifth US Navy ship to bear the name. Commissioned in January 1944, she served in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, earning four battle stars...
, USS Lexington IIUSS Lexington (CV-16)USS Lexington , known as "The Blue Ghost", is one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. The ship, the fifth US Navy ship to bear the name, is named in honor of the Revolutionary War Battle of Lexington...
, USS EnterpriseUSS Enterprise (CV-6)USS Enterprise , colloquially referred to as the "Big E," was the sixth aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the seventh U.S. Navy ship to bear the name. Launched in 1936, she was a ship of the Yorktown class, and one of only three American carriers commissioned prior to World War II to...
, USS IndependenceUSS Independence (CVL-22)The fourth USS Independence was a United States Navy light aircraft carrier, lead ship of her class.-Construction and deployment:...
, USS Belleau WoodUSS Belleau Wood (CVL-24)USS Belleau Wood was a United States Navy active during World War II in the Pacific Theater, from 1943 to 1945. The ship also served in the First Indochina War under French Navy temporary service as Bois Belleau....
, USS Langley IIUSS Langley (CVL-27)USS Langley was an 11,000-ton that served the United States Navy from 1943 to 1947, and French Navy as the La Fayette from 1951 to 1963. Named for Samuel Pierpont Langley, American scientist and aviation pioneer, Langley received nine battle stars for World War II service...
, USS CabotUSS Cabot (CVL-28)USS Cabot was an in the United States Navy, the second ship to carry the name. Cabot was commissioned in 1943 and served until 1947. She was recommissioned as a training carrier from 1948 to 1955. From 1967 to 1989, she served in Spain as '...
and USS San JacintoUSS San Jacinto (CVL-30)The second USS San Jacinto of the United States Navy was an Independence-class light aircraft carrier that served during World War II. She was named for the Battle of San Jacinto during the Texas Revolution. U.S. President George H.W...
on 25 October 1944 off Cape Engaño, during the Battle of Leyte GulfBattle of Leyte GulfThe Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
.
- ZuikakuJapanese aircraft carrier ZuikakuZuikaku was a Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her complement of aircraft took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor that formally brought the United States into the Pacific War, and she fought in several of the most important naval battles of the war, finally being sunk...
: 72-aircraft fleet carrier ; sunk by aircraft from US Navy Task Force 38 (carriers USS IntrepidUSS Intrepid (CV-11)USS Intrepid , also known as The Fighting "I", is one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. She is the fourth US Navy ship to bear the name. Commissioned in August 1943, Intrepid participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, most notably the Battle...
, USS FranklinUSS Franklin (CV-13)The USS Franklin , nicknamed "Big Ben," was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy, and the fifth US Navy ship to bear the name. Commissioned in January 1944, she served in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, earning four battle stars...
, USS Lexington IIUSS Lexington (CV-16)USS Lexington , known as "The Blue Ghost", is one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. The ship, the fifth US Navy ship to bear the name, is named in honor of the Revolutionary War Battle of Lexington...
, USS EnterpriseUSS Enterprise (CV-6)USS Enterprise , colloquially referred to as the "Big E," was the sixth aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the seventh U.S. Navy ship to bear the name. Launched in 1936, she was a ship of the Yorktown class, and one of only three American carriers commissioned prior to World War II to...
, USS IndependenceUSS Independence (CVL-22)The fourth USS Independence was a United States Navy light aircraft carrier, lead ship of her class.-Construction and deployment:...
, USS Belleau WoodUSS Belleau Wood (CVL-24)USS Belleau Wood was a United States Navy active during World War II in the Pacific Theater, from 1943 to 1945. The ship also served in the First Indochina War under French Navy temporary service as Bois Belleau....
, USS Langley IIUSS Langley (CVL-27)USS Langley was an 11,000-ton that served the United States Navy from 1943 to 1947, and French Navy as the La Fayette from 1951 to 1963. Named for Samuel Pierpont Langley, American scientist and aviation pioneer, Langley received nine battle stars for World War II service...
, USS CabotUSS Cabot (CVL-28)USS Cabot was an in the United States Navy, the second ship to carry the name. Cabot was commissioned in 1943 and served until 1947. She was recommissioned as a training carrier from 1948 to 1955. From 1967 to 1989, she served in Spain as '...
and USS San JacintoUSS San Jacinto (CVL-30)The second USS San Jacinto of the United States Navy was an Independence-class light aircraft carrier that served during World War II. She was named for the Battle of San Jacinto during the Texas Revolution. U.S. President George H.W...
on 25 October 1944 off Cape Engaño, during the Battle of Leyte GulfBattle of Leyte GulfThe Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
.