This list of aircraft carriers contains aircraft carriers listed alphabetically by name. An aircraft carrier is a warship with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft, that serves as a seagoing airbase.
Included in this list are ships which meet the above definition and had an official name (italicized) or designation (non-italicized), regardless of whether they were or were not ordered, laid down, completed, or commissioned.
Amphibious assault ships, also known as commando carriers, assault carriers, helicopter carriers, landing helicopter assault ships, landing helicopter docks, landing platform docks, and landing platform helicopters. Although they have flight decks and look like aircraft carriers, they primarily operate helicopters and do not act as a floating airbase. Examples include the US Wasp-class assault ships, Brazilian PHM Atlântico (A140), Japanese Akitsu Maru escort carrier, and French Mistral-class.
"In commission" denotes the period that the ship was officially in commission with the given name for the given country as an aircraft carrier as defined above.
List of countries that have operated aircraft carriers
Note: Due to numerous edits in the past, this section, unlike the rest of the current article, does NOT necessarily exclude amphibious assault ships and helicopter carriers.
List of countries that currently operate aircraft carriers
Brazil
Active:
Atlântico: helicopter carrier in service since 2018
Retired:
Fleet carrier:
São Paulo: Clemenceau class carrier in service between 2000 and 2017. Former name as carrier of the French Navy: Foch
Liaoning: never completed ex-Soviet Navy carrier sold to China by Ukraine and refitted in Dalian as Type 001. Handed over to PLAN on 23 September 2012 and entered active service on 25 September 2012.[1]
Shandong: under construction since 2013, launched on 26 April 2017 at Dalian Shipyard, entered active service on 17 December 2019.[2]
The Russian Navy was established in December 1991, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, most Soviet aircraft carriers were transferred over to Russia.
TCG Anadolu (2021) The construction works began on 30 April 2016 at the shipyard of Sedef Shipbuilding Inc. in Istanbul and is expected to be completed in 2021. Yet to start, planned to enter service in 2021.[15]
The United States Navy is a blue-water navy that is the world's largest and most powerful because, among its numerous other vessels, it has the world's largest fleet of nuclear powered aircraft carriers. The carrier fleet currently comprises the (CATOBAR) Nimitz class and (CATOBAR/ EMALS) Gerald R. Ford classsupercarriers. These carriers serve as the centerpieces and flagships for the Navy's Carrier Strike Groups, with their embarked carrier air wings and accompanying ships and submarines, which strongly contribute to the US ability to project force around the globe. The following is a complete list of all the US Navy's carriers and classes to date, and their status:
The United States Navy also had a sizable fleet of escort aircraft carriers during World War II and the era that followed. These ships were both quicker and cheaper to build than larger fleet carriers and were built in great numbers to serve as a stop-gap measure when fleet carriers were too few. However, they were usually too slow to keep up with naval task forces and would typically be assigned to amphibious operations, often seen in the Pacific war's island hopping campaign, or to convoy protection in the war in the Atlantic. To that end, many of these ships were transferred to the Royal Navy as part of the US-UK lend-lease program. While some of these ships were kept for a time in reserve after the war, none survive today, as they have all since been sunk or retired and scrapped. The following are the classes and stand-alone ships of the US Navy's escort carriers;
The United States Navy also has several full-deck, amphibious assault ships, which are larger than many of the aircraft carriers of other navies today.[16] These ships are STOVL-capable and can carry full squadrons of fixed-wing aircraft, such as the V/STOLAV-8B Harrier II and the STOVL F-35 Lightning II, along with numerous rotary-wing aircraft. Their primary purpose though, is usually to serve as the centerpiece and flagship for an Expeditionary Strike Group or Amphibious Ready Group, carrying US Marine CorpsExpeditionary Units and their equipment close to shore for amphibious landings and departures. The following are ships and classes of US Navy amphibious assault ships;
HMCS Warrior: Colossus class light carrier in service from 1946 to 1948; returned to Royal Navy and sold to Argentine Navy as ARA Independencia (V-1); carrier in service from 1959 to 1969; scrapped 1971
German aircraft carrier I: conversion of the transport ship Europa cancelled at design stage in November 1942 due to insurmountable problems.
The two planned Italian carriers Aquila and Sparviero were seized by the Germans after the Italian Armistice but not completed.
Netherlands
Retired:
Hr.Ms. Karel Doorman (ex-British HMS Venerable, purchased 1948) – Sold to Argentina 1968 and renamed ARA Veinticinco de Mayo, broken up
Hr.Ms. Karel Doorman (ex-British HMS Nairana, transferred to Dutch service 1946) – Converted to merchantman and renamed Port Victor, Until March 1968, owned by Cunard Line but managed by Blue Star Port Lines. Eventually owned by Port Line, 21 July 1971, sent to Faslane to be scrapped
Rapana class:
Motor vessel Gadila of the Dutch Merchant Navy was a converted Royal Dutch Shell oil tanker along with her sister ship MV Macoma.
Motor vessel Macoma together with MV Gadila were the first Dutch aircraft carriers.
The Soviet Union was dissolved in December 1991, most Soviet aircraft carriers were transferred to Russia, with the exception of Varyag which was transferred to Ukraine. Ulyanovsk was scrapped before the Soviet Union was dissolved.
HTMS Chakri Naruebet (1996)* Commissioned in 1997, but by 1999, only one used AV-8S Matador/Harrier was still operable due to lack of spare parts and age.[17] Since 2006 is solely operated as a helicopter carrier.
Warrilow, Betty. Nabob, the first Canadian-manned aircraft carrier Owen Sound, Ont. : Escort carriers Association, 1989.
Busquets, C.; Campanera, A.; Coello, J.L. (1994). Los portaaviones españoles (in Spanish). Agualarga Editores. ISBN84-88959-02-8.
Further reading
Warrilow, Betty. Nabob, the first Canadian-manned aircraft carrier Owen Sound, Ont. : Escort Carriers Association, 1989.
Chesneau, Roger. Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present. An Illustrated Encyclopedia Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN0-87021-902-2
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