The Design of Aircraft Carriers Prior to World War II

Abstract

The design and development of the early aircraft carriers has made great demands on the interdisciplinary teams charged with these tasks. Although the same basic principles have always operated, and will continue to do so for all ships of this class, they were difficult to apply first to ships converted to carry aircraft and later to the ships specifically designed for aircraft-carrying purposes. Here these difficulties are reviewed and the compromises described as they relate to the Royal Navy and the United States Navy. Political constraints, as laid down by the Washington Treaty, played only a minor role.