Ranked and Ready: The 5 Best Aircraft Carriers of WWII

Summary and what you need to know: During the Second World War, aircraft carriers revolutionized naval warfare, and several distinguished themselves by their significant contributions. HMS Illustrious (87) led the attack on Taranto, crippling the Italian battleships, and later fought Japanese forces.

-USS Lexington (CV-16), an Essex-class aircraft carrier renamed after the lost CV-2, earned 11 battle stars in major Pacific battles such as Tarawa and the Philippine Sea.

-Another Essex-class carrier, USS Yorktown (CV-10), known as the “Fighting Lady,” also earned 11 battle stars while supporting several Pacific campaigns.

-USS Anzio (CVE-57) was the most decorated escort carrier, participating in key operations such as Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

-Finally, USS Enterprise (CV-6) participated in more major actions against Japan than any other American ship, earning 20 battle stars and the nickname “The Gray Ghost.”

Top 5 Aircraft Carriers That Dominated the Seas of WWII

As the clouds of war loomed on the horizon in the 1930s, military planners around the world continued to place their faith in the power of the battleship.

Germany’s naval rearmament efforts included the construction of two powerful battleships, while plans to launch an aircraft carrier were shelved.

Likewise, Italy and the United States each developed new classes of battle wagons.

The aircraft carrier was at best a secondary consideration, and it was only after the British Royal Navy’s raid on Taranto and Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that opinions changed.

The Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, which was the first time enemy fleets engaged at such distances and where the ships never saw each other, only served to prove that the age of the aircraft carrier had truly arrived.

These aircraft carriers stand out as the best of World War II:

Top 5 Aircraft Carriers of World War II – HMS Illustrated (87)

The lead ship of her class of aircraft carriers built for the Royal Navy, she took part in the aforementioned Battle of Taranto in late 1940, where her aircraft sank one Italian battleship and badly damaged two others. While German Stuka dive bombers later crippled her, HMS Illustrated was repaired in the United States and returned to service.

She took part in operations against the Japanese-occupied Dutch East Indies in 1944 and later saw action in the Battle of Okinawa.

Top 5 Aircraft Carriers of World War II – USS Lexington (CV-16)

Originally named Poochthe us navy Essex-The CV-16-class aircraft carrier has been renamed to commemorate the recently lost USS Lexington (CV-2). During World War II, the carrier received 11 battle stars for actions in major engagements, while her crew received the Presidential Unit Citation.

USS Lexington CV-16 participated in a raid on Tarawa in late September 1943, followed by an attack on Wake Island a month later. She returned to Pearl Harbor to prepare for the Gilbert Islands operation, and in November she conducted searches and sorties in the Marshall Islands, covering the Gilbert landings. She played a major role in the victory of Task Force 58 (TF-58) in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and later provided close support for the invasion of Iwo Jima.

Preserved as a museum ship, the USS Lexington has also been something of a pop culture icon – appearing in films such as Midway, where it replaced the USS Yorktown (CV-5); and televisions War and Remembrance, where she served as USS Business (CV-6). It was later modified to resemble a Japanese aircraft carrier as well as the USS Hornet (CV-8) for the years 2001 Pearl Harbor.

Top 5 Aircraft Carriers of WWII – USS Yorktown (CV-10)

Another Essex-The class aircraft carrier is to be named after a defunct flat-hulled aircraft carrier, the USS Yorktown (CV-10) participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, where she earned 11 battle stars and a Presidential Citation. Nicknamed the “Fighting Lady,” Yorktown It supported numerous amphibious landings and took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, which ended Japanese carrier dominance in the Pacific.

After Japan’s official surrender aboard the battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) September 2, 1945, USS Yorktown On September 16, she participated in the Allied “show of force” and entered Tokyo Bay. Today, she is preserved as a museum ship in Charleston, South Carolina, and serves as the centerpiece of the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum. She was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

Top 5 Aircraft Carriers of WWII – USS Anzio (CVE-57)

THE Casablanca-class escort aircraft carrier CVE-57 could be described as “the little carrier that could” as it participated in naval operations supporting attacks on the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, New Guinea, and the Mariana Islands. Originally classified as an auxiliary carrier, it was initially named Alikula Bay but was renamed Coral Sea before being renamed USS Anzio just after the end of the war. She participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Okinawa Campaign, while after the war she helped repatriate American troops as part of Operation Magic Carpet.

CVE-57 was the most decorated escort carrier of the war, earning 11 Navy Unit Commendations and nine battle stars. Unfortunately, she was sold for scrapping, without a single CasablancaThe A-class aircraft carrier has been preserved as a museum ship.

Top 5 Aircraft Carriers of World War II – USS Business (CV-6)

The carrier participated in more major actions against the Imperial Japanese Navy than any other American warship during World War II. While at sea on 7 December 1941, 18 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers from her air group engaged the Japanese in the attack on Pearl Harbor, while she later took part in the Battle of Midway, helping to turn the tide of World War II.

USS Business USS Enterprise then participated in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. During the Guadalcanal Campaign, her aircraft covered the landings. In February 1945, USS Enterprise participated in the invasion of Iwo Jima, then in the raids on the Japanese home islands and the Okinawa campaign in April.

By the end of World War II, her planes and guns had shot down 911 enemy aircraft, sunk 71 ships, and damaged or destroyed 192 other vessels. Three times during the war, the Japanese mistakenly reported that CV-6 had been sunk in combat, earning her the nickname “Gray Ghost.”

For its actions in the Pacific War, the USS Business earned a total of 20 battle stars, making her the most decorated U.S. Navy warship of the conflict.

About the author

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites. He writes regularly about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Editor for Forbes. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.

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