Themes

Article Highlights

• Introduction

• Vulnerability of aircraft carriers

• Converting merchant ships

• New escort carriers

Vulnerability of aircraft carriers

The early loss of HMS Courageous in the first few weeks of the Second World War showed the vulnerability of aircraft carriers as independent hunters. The huge amount of material needed to supply the war effort had to be brought over from America and protected from U-boat, surface ship raiders and air attack. These threats could sometimes all come at once as seen in some extreme examples in the Mediterranean and Artic convoys.

Sinking of HMS Courageous in the Atlantic by U29, 1939 (RNM)