The Adventures Of The United States’ First Aircraft Carrier
A decorated ship that saw 30 years of service
The aircraft carrier was a revolutionary weapons platform that changed warfare forever. Even today, aircraft carriers are pivotal pillars of power projection for the world’s most powerful militaries. Most people become acquainted with the usefulness and power of an aircraft carrier through studies of the Pacific Theater of World War II but aircraft carriers began their journey to prominence two decades before.
The hull of what was to become the United States’ first aircraft carrier was laid down in 1912. It would enter service as the first of many US carriers under the designation CV-1 in 1920, two full decades before the outbreak of the war with Japan in 1941.
These are the feats and adventures of the USS Langley (CV-1).
From Collier to Carrier
The USS Langley began her life as a standard collier. Before she was rebranded as the Langley in 1920, the United States’ first carrier was the USS Jupiter also known as Navy Fleet Collier №3.
