Chapter 1 - The Early Years

(Part 4)

Proving the Carrier's Worth

The Washington Naval Accords of 1921 were entered into by the countries of the world as a means of limiting the development of huge battleship fleets like those used during World War I. As a result of the Accords, the major nations were allocated a certain amount of tonnage that could be used for the development of aircraft carriers. For the United States, this meant that two cruiser hulls already under construction were converted into the two aircraft carriers of the Lexington-class (the USS Lexington and USS Saratoga). These were huge ships of over 47,000 tons and would be the largest American carriers until the post-World War II ships of the Midway-class.

The USS Lexington CV-2

Further tests with the powerful aircraft compliments of these new carriers eventually led to the deployment of the carriers and support ships as self-contained battle groups. In 1928 aircraft from the USS Langley mounted a simulated attack on Pearl Harbor which clearly demonstrated the offensive potential of this new weapon of war. Similar simulated attacks were made by the USS Lexington and USS Saratoga on the Panama Canal in 1929 and again on Pearl Harbor in 1932 and in 1938. Despite the overwhelming success of these war games, Naval leaders still did not take the warnings seriously.

During the years before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States launched several new aircraft carriers, including the USS Ranger (1933), USS Yorktown and USS Enterprise (1936), USS Hornet (1940), and USS Wasp (1941). The USS Ranger and USS Wasp were small, under-powered, and lightly armored ships and were generally considered to be ill-suited for major offensive missions. During the same time period, the Imperial Japanese Navy had acquired six large carriers and three smaller ships. As Japan began her aggressive campaign of imperial expansion in the Pacific, the stage was set for a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor.

The USS Ranger CV-4

The USS Yorktown CV-5

The USS Wasp CV-7

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Last Updated: January 1, 2003