Aircraft carrier

• The first aircraft carrier, the HMS Furious, was originally built as a modified cruiser in 1917 before being converted to a full-fledged aircraft carrier in 1925. • During World War II, the aircraft carrier emerged as a crucial component of naval warfare due to its ability to launch aircraft that could attack enemy ships, submarines, and even land targets. • The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, which eventually led the United States to enter World War II, was carried out primarily by aircraft launched from Japanese aircraft carriers. • The USS Enterprise (CV-6), one of the most famous aircraft carriers of World War II, earned the nickname "The Big E" and received more battle stars than any other US ship during the war. • In 1942, the USS Hornet (CV-8) launched the famous Doolittle Raid on Japan, during which US Army Air Forces bombers were launched from the carrier to strike Tokyo and other Japanese cities. • The USS Midway (CV-41), commissioned in 1945, served as the US Navy's flagship in Asia during the Cold War and was the largest aircraft carrier in the world until 1955. • The development of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, starting with the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in 1961, revolutionized naval warfare by providing carriers with nearly unlimited range and endurance. • The British Royal Navy's HMS Queen Elizabeth, commissioned in 2017, is the largest and most advanced aircraft carrier in the world today, capable of carrying up to 40 F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters. • During the Falklands War in 1982, the British aircraft carriers HMS Invincible and HMS Hermes played a crucial role in supporting ground operations and defending against Argentine air attacks. • The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and its class of supercarriers, commissioned in the 1970s and 1980s, remain the backbone of the US Navy's carrier fleet and are among the largest warships ever built.