There are several contenders for the title of first aircraft carrier. Several navies claim to have had the first as a part of their navy, many ship builders also claim to have made the first as well.
When it comes to military aviation, naval aviation is often overlooked, carrier-based aviation even more so! Aircraft carriers are at the front of naval aviation but what was the first aircraft carrier?
Pre-Wright Brothers Aircraft Carriers
Before 1903, before the Wright Brothers’ first flight of their Wright Flyer, there were ships that launched airborne weapons, similarly to how modern aircraft carriers launch.
Balloon Carriers
Balloon carriers were the first modern iteration of an aircraft carrier. As the name would suggest, instead of launching planes, these carriers would launch hot air balloons equipped with a series of bombs, or the balloons themselves were bombs.
The first of these types of carriers was commissioned in July 1849 by the Austrian Navy. This ship, the Italian SMS Vulcano, launched a series of incendiary balloons on the Venice, although only one balloon found its target.
The American Civil War saw not only the first widespread use of balloon carriers, but also the first time aircraft were used for spying. In July 1862, during the Peninsular Campaign, the Union began to use former coal barge, USS George Washington Parke Custis, as a balloon carrier.
By WWII, despite several modern aircraft carriers existing, many countries, including: France, Britain, Germany, Russia and Italy were using balloon carriers, alongside their aircraft carriers.
Seaplane Carriers
In 1910, Henri Fabre invented the first seaplane- the first purpose-built aircraft that could land on water. Soon, many navies became interested in the possibilities of seaplanes for military use.
The French Navy were the first to see the potential of a seaplane carrier, with the redesign on the Foudre- the first seaplane carrier.
Unlike modern aircraft carriers, seaplanes were equipped with a crane, to lower the seaplanes into the water. Once these seaplanes had completed their mission, the crane would pick them up and place them back in the ship.
With the onset of WWI in 1914, many navies had to invest in newer and more seaplane carriers. By the end of 1914, Britain, France, Japan and the United States all had seaplane carriers.
These seaplane carriers would see action all throughout WWI, even when other naval conflicts were avoided! This is mostly because these seaplane carriers could be well behind the frontlines, whilst the aircraft bore all the risk.
Post-Wright Brothers Aircraft Carriers
After the Wright Brothers’ first flight, many understood the military benefits of aviation. However, only a handful of them understood how mobile, seaborne aircraft could be of use in future naval conflicts.
As a result, it took the world’s major militaries over two decades to begin construction of aircraft carriers as we know them today.
HMS Argus
HMS Argus was first laid down in 1914 as an oceanliner. However, the onset of WWI saw all ships under construction be pressed into military service for the duration of the war.
Initially, HMS Argus was planned as either a frigate or as a destroyer. However, the famed naval aviator and ship designer, James Graham, the sixth Duke of Montrose, had a different plan.
The Duke was a director of the famed William Beardmore and Company, which made many of the Royal Navy’s most advanced ships. In 1912, the company had made a design for an aircraft carrier, which was rejected.
However, the onset of the war had seen seaplane carriers be widely used. But, fixed wheel aircraft had no way of landing on these carriers, which reduced their overall effectiveness.
William Beardmore and Company had not only a competent design, but the pieces in place to make it a reality. The Admiralty decided to fun the project in 1916, and the ship that would eventually become the HMS Argus, was born.
The company redesigned their aircraft carrier to fit the Argus’ shell, and gave it a full flight deck, with hangars underneath the flight deck.
HMS Argus would be used in the final month of WWI, before being decommissioned after the war. It would later be recommissioned as a training vessel during WWII for Hurricanes and Spitfires.
USS Langley
In the early 20th century, the US Navy needed a newer, larger and more powerful coal transport ship (known as a collier). To do this, the US Navy contacted the famous Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) for a new class of colliers.
Here, MINSY produced the Proteus class of colliers. These colliers had larger cargo holds and more powerful engines. It was commissioned initially commissioned as the Jupiter alongside its sister ships, in April 1913.
During WWI, the Jupiter, alongside its sister ships, would transport coal and men to the Western Front. On one of these missions, the Jupiter’s sister ship Cyclops disappeared without a trace.
In April 1920, after seeing the HMS Argus in use in Britain, the US Navy decided to convert one of its colliers into an aircraft carrier. The Jupiter was chosen to fulfill this role.
Here, it was taken to Norfolk Naval Shipyards, and dismantled, being redesigned and fitted with a long flight deck and hangars. In order to appease foreign powers, this aircraft carrier was officially experimental.
The vessel was reclassified as an aircraft carrier in 1920, before being recommissioned in 1922. To reflect the vessel’s change in use, it was renamed as the USS Langley, in honor of Samuel Pierpont Langley.
Hōshō
At the end of WWI, Japan was on the winning side, getting a seat at the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. During the war, Japan had seen several of its allies experiment with a new type of seaplane carrier: the aircraft carrier.
Japan knew that if it wanted to become a global superpower, it would have to have a navy that could rival the Royal Navy, as well as the growing US Navy. As such, it began to research aircraft carrier technology.
A year previously, the British had laid down what would eventually become the HMS Hermes, putting the British in the lead with two aircraft carriers in Japan’s eyes.
With this, in 1919, Japan would set down the Hōshō, named after the famed 19th century Japanese vessel. Japan would redesign the vessel on numerous occasions, due to Britain adding several more aircraft carriers to their fleet.
Japan sank a large portion of its military budget into the Hōshō, which enabled it to have some of the most advanced weaponry of its time. It was also slightly larger than Britain’s first aircraft carrier: HMS Argus.
Despite HMS Hermes being laid down in 1918, whilst Hōshō was laid down in 1919, Hōshō was actually finished first. It would be completed in late 1921 before being commissioned in December 1922.
HMS Furious
In 1915, Britain wanted a new type of battlecruiser that would deter Germany from using its mighty navy in the war, even more. To do this, Britain produced the Courageous class of battlecruisers.
The Courageous class of battlecruisers were the longest and most powerful ships of their day. Britain produced three of them: Courageous, Glorious and Furious. Due to their power, they did see relatively little conflict during the war.
However, the HMS Furious was different compared to its two sister ships (occasionally called “Half sister ships” instead!) Whilst under construction, her various turrets and batteries were added, as with any battleship.
Upon adding them, the Admiralty wanted the HMS Furious to be redesigned. As such, her batteries and turrets were removed, and the a lot of the internal compartments were modified to act as hangars.
In place of her turrets and batteries, the Furious was given a large deck, which WWI-era aircraft could takeoff and land on. The HMS Furious would be launched in August 1916, before being commissioned in June 1917.
The first aircraft to land on the HMS Furious was a Sopwith Pup, piloted by famed British naval aviator Squadron Commander Edwin Dunning. The aircraft carrier would later see extensive use in WWII.
HMS Hermes
Following the introduction of the HMS Argus, Britain wanted to re-secure its position as the world’s most powerful navy following WWI. To this end, Britain restarted construction on several vessels that were halted due to the war.
Britain also wanted to add yet another aircraft carrier to its fleet, bringing the number up from two to three. To this end, Britain once again used an old design, from an old British shipyard.
Initially, the Admiralty wanted the Hermes to carry both fixed wheel aircraft as well as seaplanes, as it believed diversifying the aircraft carried was the best option.
However, the Hermes’ designer managed to convince the Admiralty that the Royal Navy’s current seaplane carriers were sufficient. As such, they dropped this specification. Although, the Hermes could still use both types of aircraft.
After first being laid down in January 1918, the ship was launched in September 1919. However, the Hermes was not commissioned until February 1924. Becoming the world’s first purpose built aircraft carrier (to be laid down!)
The Hermes wouldn’t see combat service for its initial service life. In 1938, it was reclassified as a training vessel, before the constraints of WWII, forced the Royal Navy to reclassify the Hermes as an aircraft carrier once again.
HMS Eagle
Initially, the HMS Eagle was never supposed to enter service with the Royal Navy. Instead, it was designed by British firm Armstrong Whitworth for the Chilean Navy, as an Almirante Latorre-class battleship.
The Chilean Navy wanted a battleship that was larger than anything any other South American nation had at the time (as Chile was then involved in the South American Naval Arms Race).
After the onset of WWI, Armstrong Whitworth was forced to suspend its construction. Several Almirante Latorre-class battleships were nearly completed, which were subsequently bought by the Royal Navy, rather than by Chile.
The Almirante Cochrane (the ship that would eventually become the HMS Eagle) was nowhere near complete. However, the Royal Navy purchased the Almirante Cochrane as well, intending to redesign it as an aircraft carrier.
In the last year of the war, Britain finally began construction on the HMS Eagle, as a full deck aircraft carrier. Over the course of the Eagle’s construction, certain areas were redesigned after tests with other aircraft carrier concluded.
The HMS Eagle would be commissioned in February 1924, and would be the pride of the Royal Navy (for a little while anyway!) The HMS Eagle would be used all throughout WWII, before being sunk during the Maltese Campaign of WWII.
USS Saratoga
In 1911, the US Navy commissioned a new class of battleship, this was the Lexington-class battleship. By 1916, the USS Saratoga had been laid down, however, US Navy analysts deemed anti-submarine vessels to be of higher priority.
As a result, the shipyard halted the Saratoga’s construction until after the war. Following the war, the US Navy changed its needs, based partly on the very limited use of ships during WWI. As a result, the Saratoga was redesigned.
Following this, the Saratoga was relaid down in September 1920. However, just prior to the start of the Washington Naval Conference, the US suspended all construction of new ships, including on the Saratoga.
Here, several new treaties were put in place, as to what type of ships countries could build, and how many of them they could build. This included battleships, which the US would be over the limit for.
As a result, and not wanting to waste valuable materials or money, the Saratoga was redesignated as an aircraft carrier instead. Here, the vessel was slightly redesigned, before construction began again in July 1922.
The vessel would be completed in late 1925. After a series of rigorous testing, the vessel would be commissioned in November 1927. The USS Saratoga would serve during WWII, before being destroyed during a nuclear test.
USS Lexington
In 1911, the US commissioned a new type of battleship, the aforementioned Lexington-class battleship. By 1916, the USS Lexington had been laid down, however, the US Navy deemed the construction of anti-submarine vessels to be of higher importance.
As such, the USS Lexington’s construction was delayed until after the war. Following the war, the Lexington was completely redesigned. The Lexington was subsequent relaid down in January 1921.
Prior to the Washington Naval Conference, the US had suspended the Lexington’s construction. Following the conference, the Lexington was redesignated as an aircraft carrier, before being redesigned.
From this, the USS Lexington’s construction would commence once again in July 1922. Here, it borrowed many design elements from British aircraft carriers, with the Americans copying the British closely.
A month following the Saratoga receiving her commission, the Lexington would receive its own commission, doing so in December 1927. The two vessels would serve alongside one another for much of their service life.
However, the Lexington’s service life was cut short when it was sunk during the Battle of the Coral Sea by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Its shipwreck was thought lost, until divers uncovered it in 2018, off the coast of Australia.
Béarn
In 1912, France set down a new class of dreadnought battleship, the Normandie-class. The Normandie-class initially consisted of five battleships, however, the onset of WWI caused their construction to be halted.
This last of these ships was the Béarn. For the duration of the war, the Béarn would sit in the construction yard, uncompleted. Following the war, the French would complete construction of the ship in 1920.
However, the French had seen new British HMS Argus and were impressed. As with the British, they saw the future of naval aviation in these ships, with them serving as the heart of any fleet.
With this, they decided to convert one of the five Normandie-class battleships into an aircraft carrier, similarly to the origins of HMS Argus itself.
For cost reasons, the French Admiralty chose the Béarn to be converted, as it was the least into its construction, as such, it would take less time to redesign the vessel to accommodate aircraft, rather than batteries.
Her conversion began in August 1923, with her construction being at a whopping 67 million francs. Her construction was completed in late 1927, before being entered into service in 1928.
What was the First Aircraft Carrier?
All of the aforementioned information is great, but it still doesn’t truly answer the question. Even today, many countries will tell you that it was them who made the world’s first aircraft carrier, pointing to one of their previous ships.
If you wanted to be pedantic, you could make the case for any one of these aircraft carriers, in at least one way, each of these mighty vessels were the first aircraft carrier. However, that too, is unhelpful.
However, which truly was the “first”?
All in all, HMS Argus was the first aircraft carrier in essence, having entered service in September 1918, long before the USS Langley in 1920 or the USS Saratoga in November 1927, nor the USS Lexington in December 1927.
With that being said, most historians consider either the Hōshō or the HMS Hermes to have been the world’s first purpose-built aircraft carrier. For the most part, it’s generally how you look at it.
For some historians, they consider the first aircraft carrier to have been the one that was commissioned first. In other words, they count it from when the aircraft carrier first entered service. In this case, the Hōshō wins.
For other historians, they look at when the first aircraft carrier, they go from when it was first laid down (when construction began). In this category, the HMS Hermes is the world’s first aircraft carrier.
All in all, the overwhelming majority of historians do agree that the Hōshō was the world’s first aircraft carrier. Although, a small minority do view the USS Langley, HMS Hermes, HMS Argus or the USS Lexington as the first aircraft carrier.
Which was truly the first aircraft carrier? Tell me in the comments!