Online 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.
Contents |
Argentina
Retired:
- Independencia (20 May 1944) formerly HMCS Warrior, purchased 1958, decommissioned 1970, BU
- Veinticinco de Mayo purchased in 1968, formerly Netherlands Karel Doorman, formerly British 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 occassionally proposed.
Retired:
- HMAS Melbourne (February 28, 1945) (ex-British Majestic) retired 1982; sold to China 1985.
- HMAS Sydney (September 30, 1944) (ex-British Terrible) sold October 30, 1975, BU
- HMAS Vengeance (February 23, 1944) Formerly HMS Vengeance. Returned to Britain August 13, 1955; sold to Brazil December 13, 1956 as Minas Gerais
- HMAS Albatross (February 23, 1928) (seaplane carrier) Transferred to Britain 1938, BU 1950s
Brazil
- São Paulo formerly FS Foch, purchased 2001
Retired:
- 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
- Arromaches (September 30, 1943) formerly HMS Colossus, BU 1978
- Dixmude (18 December 1940)
- Joffre class
- Joffre (-) (not completed)
- Painleve (-) (not completed)
- Commandante Teste (April 12 1929) (aviation transport) scuttled Toulon November 27 1942, BU 1950s?
- Bearn (1920) (begun as battleship) decommissioned 1945, scrapped 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
- Graf Zeppelin (December 8, 1938) (not completed) captured by USSR August, 1947 but not used as carrier
- Peter Strasser (-) (not completed)
India
There are plans for a total of three carriers.
- INS Viraat (February 16, 1953) formerly HMS Hermes (R12), purchased April 19, 1986. To retire around 2008
- INS ? 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 (September 22, 1945) formerly HMS Hercules, purchased January, 1957, decommissioned January 31, 1997. To be preserved at a museum at Mumbai
Italy
- MM Giuseppe Garibaldi (June 4, 1983) fleet flagship
Under construction:
Retired:
- MM Vittorio Veneto (February 5, 1967)
- MM Andrea Doria class
- Andrea Doria (February 27, 1963)
- Caio Duilio (December 22, 1962)
- Sparviero (1927) (converted liner Augustus, not completed as carrier) Sunk October 5, 1944
- Aquila (1926) (converted liner Roma) BU 1951-1952
- MM Giuseppe Miraglia (December 20, 1923) (seaplane carrier) fate unknown after 1943
- Europa (August 4, 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):
- HIJMS Akagi
- HIJMS Akitsu Maru
- HIJMS Amagi
- HIJMS Chitose
- HIJMS Chiyoda
- HIJMS Chuyo
- HIJMS Hiyo
- HIJMS Hiryu
- HIJMS Hosho
- HIJMS Junyo
- HIJMS Kaga
- HIJMS Kaiyo
- HIJMS Katsuragi
- HIJMS Kumano Maru
- HIJMS Nigitsu Maru
- HIJMS Ryuho
- HIJMS Ryujo
- HIJMS Shimane Maru
- HIJMS Shinano
- HIJMS Shinyo
- HIJMS Shoho
- HIJMS Shokaku
- HIJMS Soryu
- HIJMS Taiho
- HIJMS Taiyo
- HIJMS Unryu
- HIJMS Unyo
- HIJMS Yamashiro Maru
- HIJMS Zuiho
- HIJMS 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 Flota Svetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov (December 5, 1985) (formerly Tbilisi)
Retired (USSR):
- Ulyanovsk (-) (not completed) BU 1992. A sister ship was probably planned
- Varyag (December 4, 1988) (Kuznetsov class, 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
- Kiev (December 26, 1972) BU 2000 India
- Minsk (September 30, 1975) Towed to People's Republic of China 1998 for use as casino
- Novorossysk (December 26, 1978) BU 1997 South Korea
- Admiral Gorshkov (April 1, 1982) formerly Baku, renamed October 4, 1990. Sold to India.
-
Moskva class
- Moskva
- Leningrad
- Graf Zeppelin (1938) (ex-German) captured by Russia August, 1947 but not used as a carrier
Spain
- SNS Principe de Asturias (May 33 , 1982)
Retired:
- Dedalo (1901) (ex-British merchantman Neuenfels converted to seaplane carrier) Sold to Spain October 22, 1918. Sunk July 18, 1937
- SNS Dedalo (April 4, 1943) formerly USS Cabot
Thailand
United Kingdom
- Ocean (October 11, 1995) amphibious assault ship
- Invincible class
Planned:
Retired:
- HMS Ark Royal (September 5, 1914), later renamed HMS Pegasus
- HMS Argus (December 2, 1917) (liner converted while building)
- HMS Furious (August 15, 1916) (converted from large light cruiser)
- HMS Glorious (converted from large light cruiser)
- HMS Courageous (converted from large light cruiser)
- HMS Hermes (September 11, 1919)
- HMS Eagle (battleship converted while building)
- HMS Ark Royal (April 13, 1937) Sunk 1941 near Gibraltar
- Illustrious class
- Implacable class
-
Colossus class
- HMS Colossus sold to France 1946 and renamed FS Arromaches
- HMS Glory
- HMS Ocean
- HMS Theseus
- HMS Thiumph
- HMS Venerable sold to the Netherlands 1948 and renamed Karel Doorman
- HMS Vengeance (1944) sold to Brazil 1956 and renamed NAeL Minas Gerais
- HMS Warrior loaned to Canada as HMCS Warrior, sold to Argentina 1958 and renamed Independencia
- HMS Perseus
- HMS Pioneer
-
Majestic class
- HMS Majestic sold to Australia 1955 and renamed HMAS Melbourne
- HMS Hercules sold to India 1957 and renamed INS Vikrant
- HMS Leviathan was never completed
- HMCS Magnificent
- HMS Powerful sold to Canada 1952 and renamed HMCS Bonaventure
- HMS Terrible sold to Australia 1948 and renamed HMAS Sydney
-
Hermes class
- HMS Centaur (April 22, 1947)
- HMS Albion
- HMS Bulwark
- HMS Hermes sold to India April 19, 1986 and renamed INS Viraat
- Audacious class
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.