BLUF
Between World War I and II, naval planners proposed a "battle carrier" that would possess the speed to match other carriers and the firepower to boost capability. Although no such ships were constructed at the time, the concept resurfaced during the Cold War.Summary
KEY POINTS:
- The Japanese did convert an unfinished Yamato Class battleship into the biggest carrier built during WW2-the Shinano.
- In WW2, the US Navy decided against converting two unfinished Iowa Class battleships.
- The Soviet Union built four Kiev Class hybrid carriers/cruisers, one of which survives as Indian Navy INS Vikramaditya.
- The US Navy decided against replacing one 16-inch gun turret on an Iowa Class with a ski-jump deck due to cost and missile duplication with destroyers and cruisers.
- US Marine Corps amphibious-landing ships carry vertical take-off and landing “jump jets.”
