Light Carriers - Emergency Builds to Flagships of Small Navies

As a direct follow up to my video on Escort Carriers, we come to their counterpart in the Light Carrier. While an idea that predates World War Two, these ships are best known for their service in that war...or after it, with wartime designs.

Largely emergency builds, Japanese conversions excepted, these ships would give good service. Even though the cruiser conversions were...not ideal in a lot of ways.

And the British take, the Light Fleet Carriers, would endure into the 21st Century. Not a bad run for ships intended to last three years.

Even in the modern day, smaller navies still look to the light carrier- though these are bigger than their WW2 forebears -to get some form of aircraft carrier capability.

[Sh_rib]

The Japenese totally not a carrier bit at the end made me chuckle 😂

[luvr]

One of the big reasons for US escort carrier conversions was an insufficiency of steam turbine engines, they used triple expansion reciprocating steam engines.

[percievalcrawford]

Light Carriers always made for good ships that can carry a substantial if not formidable fighter force while also remaining relatively cheap.

[jollyjohnthepirate]

The planned end date of WW 2 was 1948. No one realized the effects of nuclear bombs and Soviet involvement would have on the Japanese. That's why you see the Siapans and the Midways completing too late to see service in the war. Not to mention aircraft like the F8F, F7F, P 82 and Consolidated's B 32 which arrived just in time to fly a few missions.

[tsr]

The Invincible class "through deck cruisers" nickname in the Royal Navy was "See through cruisers" (later ASW cruisers) as after the cancellation of the larger carrier replacement program everyone knew that they were "backdoor" carriers ! Useful

[ph]

A weird piece of trivia. 2 of Sapain's Captains were William "Bill" I Martin and William R "Killer" Kane. Who both served in Enterprise's Air Group 10 during World War 2. Martin as first XO and later CO of VS-10 and later VT-10, where masterminded the night attack portion of Operation Hailstone. Before being made CO of Night Air Group 90. Kane was XO and later CO of VF-10 "Grim Reapers" before taking over as Air Group Commander.

Also, when the US Navy was working on its night carrier doctrine. Independence was the first carrier deployed with a whole Night Air Group (Air Group 41). Admiral King's original idea was for Independence, Bataan, and Enterprise to be loaded with Night Air Groups. But this was reduced to Independence and Enterprise. Later operational issues with doing Night Operations from a Light Carrier caused the US Navy to bring back Saratoga from training duties and later assign Bonhomme Richard to the roles to back up Enterprise.

[carrickrichards]

Your point that CVL gave USN a larger build capacity during the critical 1942-3 is well made. Interesting and appreciated. Thanks

[Straswa]

Great vid. The Ryujo is my favorite Japanese carrier. Unique design and served as well as she could before her loss.

[TheArchemman]

Japan and their "Not real carriers, we swear" ships. Something's never change.

[JasonWolfeYT]

My takeaway is the USA light carrier got more yards building carriers. In 1943 all the mattered was having more. Had Roosevelt been listened to in the first design study imagine how much better usa would have done with 4-5 more CVLs.

[stephengardiner]

The escort carriers were meant to escort convoys and supply the air cover that was such a bane to U-boats. Preventing a U-boat from successfully attacking was as much a victory as actually sinking that self-same U-boat. Certainly, they could, if called upon, provide a small strike force and did so on a number of occasions during WWII but that was not their purpose and they did so at their peril. The light carriers WERE meant to be in the "thick of it" and proved their worth despite their limitations in size. The light carrier program arose when the timing of the arrival of the new Essex class flat tops was in some doubt.

[alephalon]

Always good to see what's arguably my favorite light carrier, Cabot/Dedalo, get mentioned in a naval video!

[diegoferreiro]

Talking about cruiser conversions, there were some interesting developments in Spain during the post-war era that didn't go much further from the drawing board: the first one was to convert the heavy cruiser Canarias into a light fleet carrier.
The second one was to acquire from Italy the Trieste's heavy cruiser salvaged hull (with her surprisingly well preserved machinery) and convert her into a light carrier.
There was even a project for an escort carrier based on an oiler's hull.
None of these projects went ahead, being the Trieste one so obscure that is barely known even in Spain.

[joewalker]

Excellent breakdown of this class of ship.

Si vis pacem, para bellum

[JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

Good choice. Light carriers are often treated as an after thought; The two biggest drawbacks being cramped and lightly protected.

[josephhungerford]

Very interesting topic. A lot of great ideas for many nations especially allies and Axis ships.

[billkallas]

I had one uncle (mother's brother) on the USS Belleau Wood CVL 24, and another uncle (father's brother) on the USS Princeton CVL 23.

[stevenmullens]

My grandfather was on the USS Belleau Wood CVL 24.

[Rocketsong]

Call me crazy, but that "Flight Deck Cruiser" would be sort of ideal for convoy escort duty, especially if the guns were dual purpose surface/AA guns.

[woppysue]

My father served on the USS Belleau Wood CVL24. Her Skipper was Rear Admiral Pride .He was in aviation torpedo man and was a turret Gunner in both TBF and TBM torpedo planes. His general quarter station was on aft starboard 40 mm anti-aircraft gun director. The Bellwood was part of task force 58. The Belleau Wood was in 13 major battles in 18 months where she was awarded a presidential unit citation medal. My father was later transferred to the USS Haraden DD 585 approximately one week before a Kamikaze plane flew through a hanger bay opening and detonated in the torpedo shop killing all of the men that my father worked with except for one who had gone above deck to get coffee.
Before my father passed away, I took him to see the WWII Memorial in Washington, DC. He looked at the battles that were carved in stone and told me he was in all but three on the Pacific side. After the war my father was on a destroyer for a year in China, removing Japanese minds from Rivers and harbors and bays. Additionally, he served on the USS Sperry AS12 in the Korean conflict.