View source for Light aircraft carrier

{{short description|Aircraft carrier that is smaller than the standard carriers of a navy}}
[[File:INS Viraat front view.jpg|thumb|[[Indian Navy]]'s [[INS Viraat|INS ''Viraat'']]. All modern light aircraft carriers are equipped with ski jump ramps.]]
A '''light aircraft carrier''', or '''light fleet carrier''', is an [[aircraft carrier]] smaller than the standard carriers of a [[navy]]. The precise definition of the type varies by country; light carriers typically have a complement of aircraft only one-half to two-thirds the size of a full-sized [[fleet carrier]]. A light carrier was similar in concept to an [[escort carrier]] in most respects; however, light carriers were intended for higher speeds to be deployed alongside fleet carriers, while escort carriers were typically relatively slow and usually defended equally slow convoys, as well as providing air support during amphibious operations.

==History==
[[File:HMS Invincible During T200 Celebrations MOD 45144681 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Royal Navy]]'s [[HMS Invincible (R05)|HMS ''Invincible'']] is the first light aircraft carrier equipped with a [[Ski-jump (aviation)|ski jump]] ramp.]]

In [[World War II]], the [[United States Navy]] produced a number of light carriers by converting [[cruiser]] hulls. These {{sclass|Independence|aircraft carrier|1}}s, converted from {{sclass|Cleveland|cruiser|0}} [[light cruiser]]s, were unsatisfactory ships for aviation with their narrow, short decks and slender, high-[[Sheer (ship)|sheer]] hulls; in virtually all respects the [[escort carrier]]s were superior aviation vessels. These issues were superseded{{clarify|date=May 2024}}{{Fix|text=how?}} by ''Independence''-class ships' virtue of being available at a time when available carrier decks had been reduced to {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|2}} and {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3|2}} in the Pacific and {{USS|Ranger|CV-4|2}} in the Atlantic. In addition, they had enough speed to take part in fleet actions with the larger carriers while escort carriers did not. Late in the war, a follow on to the ''Independence'' class, the {{sclass|Saipan|aircraft carrier|4}}, was designed. Two vessels in this class—{{USS|Saipan|CVL-48|2}} and {{USS|Wright|CVL-49|2}}—were completed after the war's end. After very brief lives as carriers, the ''Saipan''s were converted to command and communication ships.

By the start of World War II, the [[Royal Navy]]'s {{HMS|Hermes|95|6}}, the first purpose-built aircraft carrier (launched 1919, sunk 1942) was being considered as equivalent to a light aircraft carrier, due to her small size, small aircraft complement and lack of armour. The [[United Kingdom|British]] [[1942 Design Light Fleet Carrier]], originally designated the ''Colossus'' class, was a scaled-down version of their {{sclass|Illustrious|aircraft carrier|0}} fleet carrier. The design could be built in a yard with little or no experience of warship construction. Although built to merchant standards, the design incorporated better [[watertight subdivision]]. Expected to have a lifetime of about three years, the last of the design was taken out of service in 2001. The first ten were built as the ''Colossus'' class, though two of these were modified whilst under construction into aircraft maintenance carriers. An additional five carriers, none of which were completed in time for service in World War II, were built with revisions upgrading the design to handle larger and heavier aircraft, receiving the designation ''Majestic'' class.  In the post-war period, the [[Royal Navy]] operated a force of the ten ''Colossus'' carriers, while the five ''Majestic'' carriers were sold, during construction, to Australia, Canada and India.<ref name="ches129-134">Chesneau (1998), pp. 129–134</ref> The ''Majestics'' were followed, after the war, by the four light carriers of the ''Centaur'' class.

In the 1970s the Royal Navy introduced a new type of light carrier, designed to operate the [[V/STOL]] [[Hawker Siddeley Harrier]]. Originally classed as "through-deck cruisers", the three-ship [[Invincible-class aircraft carrier|Invincible class]] served into the early 21st century; HMS ''Invincible'' was key to the British victory in the [[Falklands War]].

== List of light carriers ==
[[File:Nave cavour Salerno.jpg|thumb|[[Italian aircraft carrier Cavour|Light carrier ''Cavour'']] of the Italian Navy]]
[[File:Spanish amphibious assault ship Juan Carlos I (L-61) underway in the Adriatic Sea, 22 February 2023 (230222-N-MW880-1248) (cropped).JPG|thumb|{{ship|Spanish amphibious assault ship-aircraft carrier|Juan Carlos I||2}} of the Spanish Navy]]
[[File:Chakri Naruebet 2001.JPEG|thumb|[[HTMS Chakri Naruebet|Light carrier ''Chakri Naruebet'']] of the Thailand Navy]]

=== Active ===

; Italy

* {{Ship|Italian aircraft carrier|Cavour||2}}

; Spain
* {{ship|Spanish amphibious assault ship-aircraft carrier|Juan Carlos I||2}}

; Thailand

* {{HTMS|Chakri Naruebet}}

; Japan
* [[JS Kaga]]
* [[JS Izumo]]

=== Retired ===
; Argentina
* {{ship|ARA|Independencia|V-1|6}} (''Colossus'' class)
* {{ship|ARA|Veinticinco de Mayo|V-2|6}} (''Colossus'' class)
; Australia
* {{HMAS|Sydney|R17|6}} (''Majestic'' class)
* [[HMS Vengeance (R71)|HMAS ''Vengeance'']] (''Colossus'' class)
* {{HMAS|Melbourne|R21|6}} (''Majestic'' class)
; Brazil
* {{ship|Brazilian aircraft carrier|Minas Gerais||2}} (''Colossus'' class)
; Canada
* {{HMCS|Warrior|R31|6}} (''Colossus'' class)
* {{HMCS|Magnificent|CVL 21|6}} (''Majestic'' class)
* {{HMCS|Bonaventure|CVL 22|6}} (''Majestic'' class)
; France
* ''Lafayette'' class (ex-''Independence'' class):
** {{ship|French aircraft carrier|Bois Belleau|R97|2}}
** {{ship|French aircraft carrier|La Fayette|R96|2}}
*  {{ship|French aircraft carrier|Arromanches||2}} (''Colossus'' class)
; India
* {{INS|Vikrant|1961|6}} (''Majestic'' class)
* {{INS|Viraat}} (''Centaur'' class)
; Italy
* {{Ship|Italian aircraft carrier|Giuseppe Garibaldi||2}}
;Japan
* {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hōshō||2}}
* {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Ryūjō||2}}
* {{sclass|Zuihō|aircraft carrier|4}}<ref name="Watts1967p.49">Watts (1967), p. 49</ref><ref name="Brown1977pp.21-22">Brown (1977), pp. 21–22</ref>
** {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Zuihō||2}}
** {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Shōhō||2}}
* {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Ryūhō||2}}<ref>Watts (1967), pp. 54 & 56</ref><ref>Brown (1977), pp. 26–27</ref>
* {{sclass|Chitose|aircraft carrier|4}}<ref name="Watts1967p.56">Watts (1967), p. 56</ref><ref name="Brown1977pp.27-28">Brown (1977), pp. 27–28</ref>
** {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Chitose||2}}
** {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Chiyoda||2}}
; Netherlands
* {{HNLMS|Karel Doorman|R81|6}} (''Colossus'' class)
; Spain
* {{ship|Spanish aircraft carrier|Dédalo||2}} (''Independence'' class)
* {{ship|Spanish aircraft carrier|Príncipe de Asturias||2}}
; United Kingdom
* {{HMS|Hermes|95|6}}
* {{HMS|Unicorn|I72|6}}
* [[1942 Design Light Fleet Carrier]]
** ''Colossus'' class
*** {{HMS|Colossus|R15|6}}
*** {{HMS|Glory|R62|6}}
*** {{HMS|Ocean|R68|6}}
*** {{HMS|Venerable|R63|6}}
*** {{HMS|Vengeance|R71|6}}
*** {{HMS|Pioneer|R76|6}} (maintenance carrier)
*** {{HMS|Warrior|R31|6}}
*** {{HMS|Theseus|R64|6}}
*** {{HMS|Triumph|R16|6}}
*** {{HMS|Perseus|R51|6}} (maintenance carrier)
** ''Majestic'' class (none saw service in the [[Royal Navy]])
*** [[HMAS Melbourne (R21)|''Majestic'']] (entered service as HMAS ''Melbourne'')
*** [[HMAS Sydney (R17)|''Terrible'']] (entered service as HMAS ''Sydney'')
*** [[HMCS Magnificent (CVL 21)|''Magnificent'']] (entered service as HMCS ''Magnificent'')
*** [[INS Vikrant (1961)|''Hercules'']] (entered service as INS ''Vikrant'')
*** [[HMCS Bonaventure (CVL 22)|''Powerful'']] (entered service as HMCS ''Bonaventure'')
* {{sclass|Centaur|aircraft carrier|4}}
** {{HMS|Centaur|R06|6}}
** {{HMS|Albion|R07|6}}
** {{HMS|Bulwark|R08|6}}
** {{HMS|Hermes|R12|6}}
*  {{sclass|Invincible|aircraft carrier|4}}
** {{HMS|Invincible|R05|6}}
** {{HMS|Illustrious|R06|6}}
** {{HMS|Ark Royal|R07|6}}
; United States
* {{sclass|Independence|aircraft carrier|4}}
** {{USS|Bataan|CVL-29|6}}
** {{USS|Belleau Wood|CVL-24|6}}
** {{USS|Cabot|CVL-28|6}}
** {{USS|Cowpens|CVL-25|6}}
** {{USS|Independence|CVL-22|6}}
** {{USS|Langley|CVL-27|6}}
** {{USS|Monterey|CVL-26|6}}
** {{USS|Princeton|CVL-23|6}}
** {{USS|San Jacinto|CVL-30|6}}
* {{sclass|Saipan|aircraft carrier|4}}
** {{USS|Saipan|CVL-48|6}}
** {{USS|Wright|CVL-49|6}}

==See also==
* [[Anti-submarine warfare carrier]]
* [[Escort carrier#Post-World War II|Escort carrier of post-World War II]]
* [[Helicopter carrier]]
* [[Amphibious assault ship]]
* [[Landing helicopter assault]]
* [[Landing helicopter dock]]
* [[Landing platform helicopter]]
* [[List of aircraft carriers by configuration#Navies with STOVL carriers|List of STOVL carriers]]
* [[List of aircraft carriers of World War II]]
* [[List of escort aircraft carriers of the Second World War]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book| title=Aircraft Carriers |author=Brown, David |publisher=Arco Publishing |year=1977 |isbn=0-668-04164-1}}
* {{cite book | last = Chesneau | first = Roger | year = 1998 | title = Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present. An Illustrated Encyclopedia (Rev Ed) | location = London | publisher = Brockhampton Press | pages = 288 | isbn = 1-86019-875-9}}
* {{cite book| title=Japanese Warships of World War II |author=Watts, Anthony J. |publisher=Doubleday & Company |year=1967|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_zpQAQAAIAAJ}}
{{Warship types of the 19th & 20th centuries}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Light Aircraft Carrier}}
[[Category:Light aircraft carrier classes]]
[[Category:Aircraft carriers by type]]