USS Langley, 1942: Tragic Fate of the United States Navy's First Aircraft Carrier

The USS Langley, commissioned in 1922, was the US Navy's first aircraft carrier, pioneering a new era in naval warfare. Its conversion from a collier symbolized a shift towards carrier-based aviation, crucial for projecting power at sea. In 1942, as the Japanese advanced against the Dutch East Indies, USS Langley met its fate south of Java...

Consider supporting HoH:
►Become a channel member:

Socials:

🧾 Chapters:
0:00 Introduction

📚 Sources:

Written by House of History

🎵 Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound

🖼 Photos, paintings and imagery: Public Domain, Wikicommons
🧾Machinima: Total War, Creative Assembly

#HouseofHistory #History

[Peorhum]

It should be noted she had half her flight deck removed in 1937 and could only operate seaplanes, using cranes. She was not much more then a transport ship by this point of her career.

[davejohnson]

That was a great account of the loss of the Langley and Pecos! My Uncle, Lt Bennett Johnson, was one of the P40 pilots who survived the attack on the Langley but was lost with the Pecos. Thank you!

[booniebuster]

My father was a P-40 Crew chief in the convoy with the Langley en route to Karachi. He said in his diary that the Langley dropped out of the convoy about 2 a.m. in the morning for unknown reasons. After they arrived in Karachi he heard that the Langley had been sunk. He said that most of the 25 Fighter Squadron's brand-new P-40s went down with the ship. Some were still in their packing crates. He also said that some of the men from his Squadron who were on the Langley to assist with the P-40s also went down with the ship. Much later he heard that the Langley dropped out of the convoy because it had sprung an oil leak which could have led the Japanese aircraft right to the carrier. Since my father was on a troop-carrying ship in the convoy they thought it was best to have the Langley take a different course to get away from the troop ships.

[dvog]

This is the first detailed description of the Langley sinking, that I have watched/heard.
Thank you for this presentation with maps, dates, and animation.

[Anthus.]

I have not heard about the fate of the U.S.S. Langley before now. This story, while quite sad, is an important piece of American history that is rarely talked about.

[golferken]

My Filipino grandfather (Steward 2nd class Marcial Cabias Ronquillo) was on the Langley when she was attacked by the Japanese. He was one of 40 or so sailors never found after the attack. I went to pay my respects at the US Manila Cemetery in 2022 and found his name on the wall of remembrance. My father was only 5 years old when my grandfather died.

[ScoutSniper]

Langley was converted to a Seaplane Tender by 1937 and only had roughly half the flight deck from her days as a fleet carrier.

[kennethhamby]

My father served on the newly commissioned US Langley (2nd) built in 1943. He served on board till the end of the war. The ship was leased to the French navy soon after the war. Then eventually she was scrapped.

[rayvaul]

This is something I never learned about, and it’s pretty sad that the oldest carrier we had met a such a fate, but it was bound to happen as it was obsolete. But they fought valiantly and it’s interesting just how long the Langley survived, it was riveted and not welded like many of our ships in the Second World War. It wouldn’t have lasted longer than it did concerning how it was made and how armed it is. God bless the men who died that day! And well done as always, HOH! 😀👏🏼🤙🏼

[geschirr]

Nice video. At 6:49 you state "dozens of Mitsubishi Betty bombers approached..." You only show A6M Zero's, Bettys being twin engined bombers. Some of the markings are off, like when you showed the PBYs. You state that the Langley is transporting P-40Es when you show at 5:38 P-40B/Cs.

[briananderson]

Problem is that, as others have pointed out the Langley was no longer an aircraft carrier (CV) as of her return to service in February 1937 when she was relabeled from CV-1 to AV-3.

[Rickinsf]

USS Jupiter was originally a "fleet collier, " chosen for conversion into a carrier because it was fast enough to keep up with the fleet and coal storage bunkers provided space below decks for hangars and shops.

[Dave-jdqn]

Among those rescued by the DDs were Army pilots of the 1st Pursuit Squadron. Some of them aboard Whipple were transferred to the oiler Pecos, but Pecos was sunk and some were lost.

[danielsantiagourtado]

Love these marine battle videos! Thanks For this 😊😊😊❤❤

[gurupi]

I had no idea the US lost a carrier before the Coral Sea

[danielsantiagourtado]

Great work as always! You're amazing 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[TomG]

There's been at least one book written about USS Edsall's fate - I believe was something of a mystery until after the war, when examination of IJN logs revealed that she had been sunk while trying to come to the Pecos' aid by carrier airstrikes and a large Japanese surface force.

[peerelshoff]

Great documentary. Thank You!!! Big like!!!

[vojtechslezak]

4:40 umm no. Yorktown and Enterprice were sister ships build at the same time. The upgraded/half sister ship was the Hornet.
She was build few years after Yorktown and Enterprice to have a new carrier as fast as posible before the Essex swarm came.

[tincanboat]

very interesting. my grandfather was a sailor on the Langley when it was being converted to an aircraft carrier.