List of sunken aircraft carriers

Amagi, capsized in Kure harbor, 1946

With the advent of heavier-than-air flight, the aircraft carrier has become a decisive weapon at sea. In 1911 aircraft began to be successfully launched and landed on ships with the successful flight of a Curtiss Pusher aboard the USS Pennsylvania. The British Royal Navy pioneered the first aircraft carrier as floatplanes, as flying boats under performed compared to traditional land based aircraft. The first true aircraft carrier was the HMS Argus, launched in late 1917 with a complement of 20 aircraft, a flight deck of 550 ft (170 m) and 68 ft (21 m) wide. The last aircraft carrier sunk in wartime was the Japanese carrier Amagi, in Kure Harbour in July 1945. The greatest loss of life was the 2.046 killed on the Akitsu Maru—a converted passenger liner with a small flight deck, carrying the Imperial Japanese Army's 64th Infantry Regiment.

France

Image	Ship	Type	Aircraft Component	Sinking
				Date	Location	Casualties	Conditions
150px	HMS Biter (D97) later Dixmude	Escort carrier	21-aircraft	June 10, 1966	Mediterranean Sea	—	Out of service 1953. Sunk by United States Navy as target.

Germany

Image	Ship	Type	Aircraft Component	Sinking
				Date	Location	Casualties	Conditions
	Graf Zeppelin*	Fleet Carrier	42-aircraft	August 16, 1947		—	Never completed during World War II and extensively damaged by retreating Germans. Possibly sunk by USSR as target.

Italy

Image	Ship	Type	Aircraft Component	Sinking
				Date	Location	Casualties	Conditions
	Aquila	Fleet carrier	51 aircraft	April 19, 1945	Genova Harbor, Italy	—	Never completed. Sunk by Italian divers to prevent use as a blockship by Germans.
150px	Sparviero*	Light carrier	34 aircraft	October 5, 1944	Genova Harbor, Italy	—	Never completed. Sunk by Germans to block Genova Harbor

Japan

Image	Ship	Type	Aircraft Component	Sinking
				Date	Location	Casualties	Conditions
	Akagi	Fleet Carrier	66-aircraft	June 5, 1942		267	Crippled by dive bombers during the Battle of Midway later sunk by torpedoes from Japanese destroyers the following day.
	Akitsu Maru	Escort carrier	8 aircraft	November 15, 1944	East China Sea	2046	Torpedoed by USS Queenfish
	Amagi	Fleet carrier	66 aircraft	June 27, 1945	Kure Harbor	"Light"	Sunk during the attack on Kure Harbour 24–27 July
150px	Chitose	Light Carrier	30 aircraft	October 25, 1944		903	Sunk by torpedo bombers during the Battle of Leyte Gulf
150px	Chiyoda	Light Carrier	30 aircraft	October 25, 1944		1470	Sunk by cruisers USS Santa Fe, USS Mobile, USS Wichita, and USS New Orleans during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
150px	Chuyo	Escort carrier	27 aircraft	December 4, 1943		1250	Torpedoed by submarine USS Sailfish (SS-192)
	Hiyō	Fleet carrier	53 aircraft	June 20, 1944		247	Sunk by torpedo bombers during the Battle of the Philippine Sea
	Hiryū	Fleet carrier	53 aircraft	June 5, 1942	Midway Atoll	385	Crippled by dive bombers during the Battle of Midway, later scuttled by torpedoes fired from the Japanese destroyer Makigumo
	Kaga	Fleet carrier	72 aircraft	June 5, 1942	Midway Atoll	811	Crippled by dive bombers during the Battle of Midway, later scuttled by torpedoes fired from the Japanese destroyer Hagikaze
150px	Ryūjō	Light Carrier	48 aircraft	August 24, 1942	Solomon Islands	120	Sunk by torpedo bombers and dive bombers during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons
	Shinano	Fleet carrier	120-aircraft	November 29, 1944		1435	Torpedoed by submarine USS Archer-Fish
150px	Shinyo	Escort carrier	27 aircraft	November 17, 1944	East China Sea	1130	Torpedoed by submarine USS Spadefish (SS-411)
	Shōhō	Light Carrier	30-aircraft	May 6, 1942		834	Sunk by dive bombers during the Battle of the Coral Sea.
	Shōkaku	Fleet carrier	72 aircraft	June 19, 1944		1272	Torpedoed by submarine USS Cavalla during the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
150px	Sōryū	Fleet Carrier	57-aircraft	June 4, 1942		711	Sunk by dive bombers during the Battle of Midway.
	Taihō	Fleet Carrier	65-aircraft	June 19, 1944		1650	Torpedoed by submarine USS Albacore during the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
	Unryū	Light Carrier	57-aircraft	December 19, 1944		1238	Torpedoed by submarine USS Redfish
	Unyō`	Escort Carrier	27-aircraft	September 17, 1944		239	Torpedoed by submarine USS Barb
	Zuihō	Light carrier	30 aircraft	October 25, 1944		215	Sunk by aircraft from US Navy Task Force 38 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
	Zuikaku	Fleet Carrier	72-aircraft	October 25, 1944		843	Sunk by aircraft from US Navy Task Force 38 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf

United Kingdom

Image	Ship	Type	Aircraft component	Sinking
				Date	Location	Casualties	Conditions
	Ark Royal	Fleet carrier	60 aircraft	November 14, 1941		1	Torpedoed by German submarine U-81 on November 13, 1941. Sank while under tow to Gibraltar.
	Audacity	Escort carrier	8 aircraft	December 21, 1941		—	Torpedoed by German submarine U-751
	Avenger	Escort carrier	15 aircraft	November 15, 1942		516	Torpedoed by German submarine U-151
	Courageous	Fleet carrier	48 aircraft	September 17, 1939		519	Torpedoed by German submarine U-29
150px	Dasher	Escort carrier	15 aircraft	March 27, 1943	Firth of Clyde	379	Sunk from internal explosion of unknown cause.
	Eagle	Fleet carrier	30 aircraft	August 11, 1942		131	Torpedoed by German submarine U-73
150px	Glorious	Fleet carrier	48 aircraft	June 8, 1940	Norwegian Sea	1207	Sunk by gunfire from German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.
	Hermes	Fleet carrier	20 aircraft	April 9, 1942	Indian Ocean east of Batticaloa, Sri Lanka	307	Sunk by Imperial Japanese aircraft.

United States

Image	Ship	Type	Aircraft Component	Sinking
				Date	Location	Casualties	Conditions
150px	America*	Fleet Carrier	79-aircraft	May 14, 2005	Cape Hatteras	—	Scuttled after being used as target
150px	Bismarck Sea	Escort Carrier	27-aircraft	February 21, 1945	Off Iwo Jima	318	Sunk by two Japanese kamikaze aircraft during the Battle of Iwo Jima
150px	Block Island	Escort Carrier	24-aircraft	May 29, 1944	Off the Canary Islands	6	Torpedoed by German submarine U-549
	Gambier Bay	Escort Carrier	28-aircraft	October 25, 1944	Off Samar Island in the Philippines	130	Sunk by Japanese surface ships of center force during the Battle off Samar
	Hornet	Fleet Carrier	90-aircraft	October 27, 1942	Off the Santa Cruz Islands	140	Crippled by torpedo bombers and dive bombers from Japanese Fast Carriers, sunk by torpedoes from the Japanese destroyers Makigumo and Akigumo after failed attempt to scuttle.
	Independence*	Light Carrier	30-aircraft	September 29, 1951	Farallon Islands	—	Used as target during Operation Crossroads and later scuttled after decontamination tests
	Langley	Seaplane Tender	34-aircraft	February 27, 1942	Tjilatjap harbor (Java)	16	Crippled by Japanese dive bombers later scuttled by torpedoes and gunfire from the escorting ships
	Lexington	Fleet Carrier	91-aircraft	May 8, 1942	Coral Sea	216	Sunk by Japanese torpedo bombers during the Battle of the Coral Sea
150px	Liscome Bay	Escort Carrier	28-aircraft	November 24, 1943	off Butaritari Island	644	Torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-175
150px	Ommaney Bay	Escort Carrier	28-aircraft	January 4, 1945	Sulu Sea	95	Crippled by a Japanese kamikaze, later Scuttled by the escorting destroyer USS Burns
	Oriskany*	Fleet Carrier	91-aircraft	May 17, 2006	off Pensacola, Florida	—	Sunk to become an artificial reef
	Princeton	Light Carrier	45-aircraft	October 24, 1944	Leyte Gulf	108	Sunk by land based Japanese bomber during the Battle of Leyte Gulf
	Saint Lo	Escort Carrier	28-aircraft	October 25, 1944	Leyte Gulf	143	Sunk by Japanese kamikaze aircraft during the Battle off Samar
	Saratoga*	Fleet Carrier	91-aircraft	July 25, 1946	Bikini Atoll	—	Sunk as target during Operation Crossroads
	Wasp	Fleet Carrier	76-aircraft	September 15, 1942	Southeast of San Cristobal Island	193	Sunk by the Japanese submarine I-19
	Yorktown	Fleet Carrier	90-aircraft	June 7, 1942	North of Midway Island	81	Crippled by Japanese dive bombers and torpedo bombers during the Battle of Midway later sunk by Japanese submarine I-168 while under tow.

See also

• List of sunken battleships
• List of sunken battlecruisers
• List of sunken nuclear submarines
• List of escort aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy
• List of seaplane carriers of the Royal Navy
• Aircraft carrier
• List of amphibious warfare ships
• List of aircraft carriers
• List of aircraft carriers in service
• Timeline for aircraft carrier service
• List of aircraft carriers by configuration
• List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy
• List of aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy
• List of aircraft carriers of Russia and the Soviet Union
• List of German aircraft carriers
• Ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy
• List of ships of the Japanese Navy
• List of current French Navy ships
• List of active Spanish Navy ships
• List of Canadian Navy ships
• List of Italian Navy ships
• Ships of the Indian Navy
• list of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy
• list of aircraft carrier classes of the United States Navy
• list of escort aircraft carriers of the United States Navy
• List of aircraft carriers by country

External links

• British escort carriers in WW2
• German carrier "Graf Zeppelin"
• Italian carriers in WW2 (Italian)
• Japanese carriers in WW2
• US carriers in WW2