Typically, an aircraft carrier is the capital ship of a fleet. It allows a naval force to project air power worldwide without depending on local bases for staging aircraft operations.
Since their inception in the early 20th century, carriers have evolved from wooden vessels used to deploy balloons to expensive nuclear-powered warships that carry numerous fighter planes, helicopters and other types of aircraft.
As long as there is no single definition, several types of vessels are defined as aircraft carriers, including supercarriers (the largest aircraft carriers), amphibious assault ships (employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault) and helicopter carriers.
The USS Carl Vinson, the United States Navy's third Nimitz-class supercarrier, was laid down in 1975; it was launched 1980 and commissioned two years later. The ship was named after a congressman from Georgia, in recognition of his contributions to the US Navy. Since 2009, it has been the flagship the US Navy’s Carrier Strike Group 1. In addition to its rich operational history, the ship was also featured in the 2001 film “Behind Enemy Lines” starring Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman.
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© AP Photo / Sang Tan
The HMS Ocean, the UK's amphibious assault and helicopter carrier, is currently the largest vessel in the Royal Navy and its flagship. Laid down in 1994, the vessel was accepted in service in 1998. Despite undergoing a £65 million ($83 million) refit in 2014, the HMS Ocean will be decommissioned in 2018, according to the Ministry of Defense. Following its decommissioning, the ship may be offered for sale.
The Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi, which was laid down in 1981 and commissioned in 1985, is the first Italian ship built to operate fixed-wing aircraft. After WWII, Italy was banned from using national fixed-wing air assets; therefore Giuseppe Garibaldi was reclassified as an aircraft-carrying cruiser. Until 1988, only Italian helicopters landed on its deck. Interestingly, the vessel is the fourth ship of the Italian Navy to be named after the 19th century Italian general and national hero Giuseppe Garibaldi. The ship underwent a modernization in 2003 and a major restructuring in 2013, but was replaced as the flagship of the Italian navy by the new and larger carrier Cavour in 2009.
The construction of the Spanish ship Juan Carlos I, a multipurpose amphibious assault ship, kicked off in 2005. Named in honor of Juan Carlos I, the former King of Spain, the ship was accepted in service in 2010. The original budget was 360 million euros ($391 million) but the ship cost 462 million euros ($600 million) in the end.
The Indian carrier INS Vikramaditya entered into service with the Indian Navy in 2013 and was formally inducted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi into the Indian Navy in 2014. Originally built as Baku and commissioned in 1987, this Kiev-class aircraft carrier served with the Soviet Navy and later with the Russian Navy as Admiral Gorshkov before being deactivated in 1996. The carrier was purchased by India in 2004 and had undergone modifications. After it was upgraded and refitted, the aircraft carrier received a new name, INS Vikramaditya, meaning "Brave as the Sun" in Sanskrit.
The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is the flagship of the French Navy and the largest western European warship currently in commission. Accepted in service in 2001, it became the first French nuclear-powered surface vessel and the only nuclear-powered carrier completed outside of the United States Navy. The carrier was named after French statesman and general Charles de Gaulle. Since early February 2017, it has undergone midlife maintenance, refitting and modernization.
Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov is an aircraft cruiser serving as the flagship of the Russian Navy. Initially, the ship was laid down under the name “Riga”; then it was launched in 1985 as “Leonid Brezhnev,” embarked on sea trials as “Tbilisi,” and finally named after Soviet Admiral of the Fleet Nikolai Kuznetsov. The carrier will reportedly start an overhaul and modernization in the first quarter of 2017. This is expected to extend its service life by 25 years.
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© AP Photo / Pornchai
Thailand's aircraft carrier HTMS Chakri Naruebet, the flagship of the Royal Thai Navy, is Thailand's first and only aircraft carrier. Its name can be translated as "In honor of the Chakri Dynasty," the current ruling royal house of the Kingdom of Thailand. Based on the Spanish Navy's Príncipe de Asturias design and constructed by a Spanish shipbuilder, the vessel was commissioned into the RTN in 1997. It has been deployed on several disaster relief operations. Other than disaster relief, the carrier's few other departures from port include a single training day per month and transportation of the Royal Family of Thailand.
The ENS Gamal Abdel Nasser, an Egyptian Navy amphibious assault ship is a helicopter carrier of the French-designed Mistral class. Named after the second President of Egypt, it is one of the two Mistral vessels originally built for the Russian Navy. After France canceled the contract, Egypt acquired both ships in 2015. ENS Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar El Sadat were delivered to the Arab Republic of Egypt in 2016.
The JS Hyūga is the lead ship of the Hyūga-class helicopter destroyers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It was laid down in 2006 and commissioned into military service in 2009. The vessel received its name after the Hyūga Province, an old province of Japan. Upon completion it was the largest ship built for the Japanese navy since the Second World War. The Hyūgas are primarily anti-submarine warfare carriers operating SH-60K anti-submarine helicopters.
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© AP Photo / Lee Jin-man, Pool
The South Korean navy's ROKS Dokdo is the lead vessel of the Dokdo-class amphibious assault ships of the Republic of Korea Navy. The carrier was launched in 2005 and commissioned into the Republic of Korea Navy two years later. Presently Dokdo is the flagship and the largest vessel in the South Korean navy. Its name comes from the Korean name for the Liancourt Rocks, a group of small islets in the Sea of Japan.
The HMAS Canberra is the lead ship of the Canberra-class landing helicopter docks in service with the Royal Australian Navy since 2014. It is the current flagship of the country’s fleet. The Canberra class design is based on the warship Juan Carlos I, built for the Spanish Navy. The second vessel of the class, HMAS Adelaide, was commissioned in 2015. They are the largest vessels ever operated by the Royal Australian Navy.
The Liaoning is China's only aircraft carrier for the time being. Originally laid down in 1985 for the Soviet Navy as the Kuznetsov-class aircraft cruiser Riga, it was launched in 1988 and renamed Varyag in 1990. After the USSR dissolved, the ship was purchased by China from Ukraine in 1998, and finally rebuilt and commissioned into the People's Liberation Army Navy as Liaoning in 2012. It is classified as a training ship, intended to allow the Navy to experiment and gain familiarity with aircraft carrier operations.
