Aircraft Carriers: A Global Force Essay -- Military Science

In history though many countries share the same essential technologies they employ them in different manners which may be affected by military aims, geography and potential foes.   In particular in the Second World War this can be seen in the use of the aircraft carrier and the aircraft they transported.   Prior to World War II the major navies of the world did not view the aircraft carrier as a strategic weapon; instead the battleship was seen as the major force multiplier of the navy. This belief was because of the enormous firepower the battleship brought to the fight however; by the end of World War II the aircraft carrier would cement its place as the navy’s strategic projection platform. I will demonstrate this by explaining how Britain, Japan and the United States all developed and used their aircraft carriers in different manners, how the transition of the airplane from a scout to a fighter played a pivotal role in the use of aircraft carriers and how the battleship proved not to be the projection platform it was thought to be. The use of carriers by Britain, Japan and the United States was vastly different.   That these 3 nations developed and used carriers in different manners can be accredited to their own history and geographic placement.   Britain and the United States entered the Second World War with the premise that the battleship still ruled the waves and all doctrines were based on that principle.   Britain used hers to escort warships and track U-boats but most importantly they were used to ferry planes to Africa and Malta, the unsinkable aircraft carrier of the Mediterranean.   The impact they had on Axis operations in Africa was significant.   The greatest contribution of British carriers was in the hunt for th... ...o protect her vital mercantile trade.   Japan being the aggressor and needing imports had to take the war to the enemy by using her carriers in an aggressive manner. The aircraft carrier became the most important ship in every navy because of its ability to project air power over a much larger area than the battleship. Navies were now capable of destroying enemy navies without ever coming within range of the ships main guns. Works Cited Howarth, D. The Dreadnoughts. Time Life Books. Illustrated History of WW2. (1969). Readers Digest Association . Leckie, R. (1998). The Wars of America. Castle Books. Spurr, R. (1981). A Glorious Way To Die. New Market Press. Writer, S. (2010, 11 5). USS Enterprise (CV-6) Conventional-Powered Aircraft Carrier. Retrieved from Military Factory: http://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/detail.asp?ship_id=USS-Enterprise-CV6 Aircraft Carriers: A Global Force Essay -- Military Science In history though many countries share the same essential technologies they employ them in different manners which may be affected by military aims, geography and potential foes.   In particular in the Second World War this can be seen in the use of the aircraft carrier and the aircraft they transported.   Prior to World War II the major navies of the world did not view the aircraft carrier as a strategic weapon; instead the battleship was seen as the major force multiplier of the navy. This belief was because of the enormous firepower the battleship brought to the fight however; by the end of World War II the aircraft carrier would cement its place as the navy’s strategic projection platform. I will demonstrate this by explaining how Britain, Japan and the United States all developed and used their aircraft carriers in different manners, how the transition of the airplane from a scout to a fighter played a pivotal role in the use of aircraft carriers and how the battleship proved not to be the projection platform it was thought to be. The use of carriers by Britain, Japan and the United States was vastly different.   That these 3 nations developed and used carriers in different manners can be accredited to their own history and geographic placement.   Britain and the United States entered the Second World War with the premise that the battleship still ruled the waves and all doctrines were based on that principle.   Britain used hers to escort warships and track U-boats but most importantly they were used to ferry planes to Africa and Malta, the unsinkable aircraft carrier of the Mediterranean.   The impact they had on Axis operations in Africa was significant.   The greatest contribution of British carriers was in the hunt for th... ...o protect her vital mercantile trade.   Japan being the aggressor and needing imports had to take the war to the enemy by using her carriers in an aggressive manner. The aircraft carrier became the most important ship in every navy because of its ability to project air power over a much larger area than the battleship. Navies were now capable of destroying enemy navies without ever coming within range of the ships main guns. Works Cited Howarth, D. The Dreadnoughts. Time Life Books. Illustrated History of WW2. (1969). Readers Digest Association . Leckie, R. (1998). The Wars of America. Castle Books. Spurr, R. (1981). A Glorious Way To Die. New Market Press. Writer, S. (2010, 11 5). USS Enterprise (CV-6) Conventional-Powered Aircraft Carrier. Retrieved from Military Factory: http://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/detail.asp?ship_id=USS-Enterprise-CV6