Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
List of aircraft carriers
This is a list of aircraft carriers in the world's navies. It includes present (as of 2004) vessels as well as former vessels and those planned or under construction. Dates given are launching dates.
BU means broken up, that is, that the ship was dismantled.
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Argentina
Retired:
- Independencia (1944) formerly HMCS Warrior, formerly HMS Warrior, purchased 1958, decommissioned 1970, BU
- Veinticinco de Mayo purchased in 1968, formerly HNLMS Karel Doorman, formerly HMS Venerable, decommissioned 1997. Towed to Alang , India, for BU January 1999
Australia
Australia's last aircraft carrier was decommissioned in 1982. The current Sydney and Melbourne are guided missile frigates, and the current Albatross is a naval base on land near Nowra. Small carriers are occasionally proposed.
Retired:
- HMAS Melbourne (1945) (ex-British Majestic) retired 1982; sold to China 1985.
- HMAS Sydney (1944) (ex-British Terrible) sold 30 October 1975, BU
- HMAS Vengeance (1944) Formerly HMS Vengeance. Returned to Britain 13 August 1955; sold to Brazil 13 December 1956 as Minas Gerais
- HMAS Albatross (1928) (seaplane carrier) Transferred to Britain 1938, BU 1950s
Brazil
Retired:
- NAeL Minas Gerais formerly HMS Vengeance, purchased December 13, 1956, decommissioned 2001
Canada
Canada's last aircraft carrier was decommissioned in 1970. Also, Canada's first two carriers were technically ships of the Royal Navy, and were thus "HMS" (His Majesty's Ships) instead of "HMCS". The UK technically owned the ships, and the RN's Fleet Air Arm provided the aircraft and aircrew, however the ship's crew were mostly from the Royal Canadian Navy.
Retired:
- HMCS Bonaventure (1945) formerly HMS Powerful retired 1970 and BU
- HMCS Magnificent (1944) returned to Britain June 14, 1957, BU 1960s
- HMCS Warrior (1944)
- HMS Puncher (1943) BU in Taiwan 1970s
- HMS Nabob (1943) BU in Taiwan around 1977
France
- FS Charles de Gaulle (1994) (nuclear powered)
Planned:
- Georges Pompidou (tentative name) modified version of UK CVF design
Retired:
- Foch class
- Arromanches (1943, formerly HMS Colossus, acquired 1946 - BU 1978
- Dixmude (1940)
- Joffre class
- Joffre (-) (not completed)
- Painleve (-) (not completed)
- Commandante Teste (1929) (aviation transport) - Scuttled Toulon 1942, refloated 1946, BU 1950s?
- Bearn (1920) (begun as battleship, converted 1923-27) - Decommissioned 1945, BU 1967?
- Rouen (1912) (merchantman converted to seaplane carrier) captured by Germany 1940s
- Nord (1898) (merchantman converted to seaplane carrier) fate unknown
- Pas-de-Calais (1898) (merchantman converted to seaplane carrier) fate unknown
- Compinas (1896) (merchantman converted to seaplane carrier) fate unknown
- Foudre (1895) (seaplane carrier) stricken December 1 1921
Germany
Retired (World War II):
- Graf Zeppelin class
India
There are plans for a total of three carriers.
- INS Viraat (1953) formerly HMS Hermes (R12), purchased April 19, 1986. To retire around 2008
- INS VIKRAMADITYA-- NOT YET READY formerly Admiral Gorshkov
Under construction:
- New carrier, unnamed, to be based on Italian MM Cavour, building at Kochi SY, for commissioning in 2011
Retired:
- INS Vikrant (1945) formerly HMS Hercules, purchased January, 1957, decommissioned 31 January 1997. To be preserved at a museum at Mumbai
Italy
- Giuseppe Garibaldi (1983) fleet flagship
Under construction:
Retired:
- Vittorio Veneto (1967)
- Andrea Doria class
- Sparviero (1927) (converted liner Augustus, not completed as carrier) Sunk 5 October 1944
- Aquila (1926) (converted liner Roma) BU 1951-1952
- Giuseppe Miraglia (1923) (seaplane carrier) fate unknown after 1943
- Europa (1895) (merchantman converted to seaplane carrier) stricken 1920
Japan
(none; four Osumi class amphibious helicopter-capable ships are being built)
Retired (World War II era):
- Akagi
- Akitsu Maru
- Amagi
- Chitose
- Chiyoda
- Chuyo
- Hiyo
- Hiryu
- Hosho
- Junyo
- Kaga
- Kaiyo
- Katsuragi
- Kumano Maru
- Nigitsu Maru
- Ryuho
- Ryujo
- Shimane Maru
- Shinano
- Shinyo
- Shoho
- Shokaku
- Soryu
- Taiho
- Taiyo
- Unryu
- Unyo
- Yamashiro Maru
- Zuiho
- Zuikaku
(Only Hosho, Junyo, Kumano Maru, and Ryuho survived the war and these were scrapped by 1948.)
Netherlands
(none; three amphibious helicopter-capable ships are being built)
Retired:
- HNLMS Karel Doorman formerly HMS Venerable, purchased in 1948; sold to Argentina 1968 and renamed Veinticinco de Mayo
Russia
- Admiral Kuznetsov class
- Admiral Flota Svetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov (1985) (formerly Tbilisi)
Retired (USSR):
- Ulyanovsk (-) (not completed) BU 1992. A sister ship was probably planned
- Admiral Kuznetsov class
- Varyag (1988) (Formerly named Riga) later owned by Ukraine and sold to the People's Republic of China for use as entertainment complex and transferred there in 2002.
- Kiev class
- Moskva class
- Moskva
- Leningrad
- Graf Zeppelin (1938) (ex-German) Captured by Russia August, 1947 but not used as a carrier
Spain
Retired:
- SNS Dedalo (1943) formerly USS Cabot
- Dedalo (1901) (ex-British merchantman Neuenfels converted to seaplane carrier) Sold to Spain October 22, 1918. Sunk 18 July 1937
Thailand
United Kingdom
United States
- USS Kitty Hawk
- USS Constellation (decommissioned August 7, 2003)
- USS Enterprise first nuclear-powered carrier
- USS John F. Kennedy
- Nimitz class
Under construction:
- USS George H. W. Bush (Nimitz class)
- CVN-21 (CVN-21 is the program name, actual hull numbers of the first two units will likely be CVN-78 and CVN-79)
Retired: See list of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy for all US carriers past and present.
References
- Haze Gray & Underway World Aircraft Carrier Lists
- Warrilow, Betty. Nabob, the first Canadian-manned aircraft carrier Owen Sound, Ont. : Escort Carriers Association, 1989.
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