It was on this date – 18 January – in 1911 that civilian pilot Eugene Ely landed a Curtiss Model D pusher biplane aboard the USS Pennsylvania. Although he had also been the first to fly from a ship – the USS Birmingham during the previous November – it was the first demonstration that an airplane could, in theory, return to a ship underway at sea.
As military aircraft enthusiasts are no doubt aware, this year also marks 100 years of United States Navy aviation. The Navy’s first airplane and pilot (later called Naval Aviator) took to the sky together in the summer of 1911 and since that time US naval aviation, mirroring the US Navy itself, has grown to be the most powerful such force in the world. Indeed, the US Navy has held the lead in naval air and sea power for very nearly 70 years.
From the nation’s coasts to the skies above Afghanistan, US Navy aircrew and supporting personnel have played a role in all of the conflicts in which America has been involved since the first antisubmarine patrols and strategic bombing missions were flown during the First World War. Very significant contributions have been made in the post-World War II period – the Korean War, the war in Southeast Asia, the 40-year Cold War and conflicts in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq.
However, it was during the Second World War that US naval aviation personnel did their most important work in stopping the advance of Japanese forces in the Pacific in 1942 and in the eventual Allied victories over Germany and Japan – both dependent on control of the sea – to end that global conflagration in 1945. The actions of US naval aircrew were particularly pivotal during the great air battles of the Pacific – the Battle of the Coral Sea, Battle of Midway, Battle of the Philippine Sea and Battle of Leyte Gulf.
When one thinks of naval aviation, the aircraft carrier comes to mind immediately. The first such vessel was the USS Langley, a converted collier, and she entered service in 1922. Biplanes gave way to monoplanes and by the time the United States entered World War II in December 1941, eight carriers had been commissioned. It was during the Second World War that the aircraft carrier replaced the battleship as the premier weapon in America’s seaborne arsenal. Though five of the prewar ships were lost to enemy action in 1942, some 30 more were commissioned by the end of 1945. Added to these were no fewer than 78 smaller escort carriers.
The aircraft carrier continued to dominate the American naval scene in the post-World War II years as it does today. Piston-engine fighters were replaced by the first generation of jets and multi-engine aircraft became common sights on flight decks. The ships themselves grew in size and capability. Power sources evolved. The first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise, was commissioned in 1961 and though oil-fired carriers continued to be built and operated, the last – USS Kitty Hawk – left active service only in 2009.
Today there are 11 aircraft carriers on the US Navy’s books and, along with a crew approaching 6,000 in number, each can accommodate a maximum of around 90 aircraft. Embarked squadrons are tasked with all-weather airborne warning and control, air superiority, tactical and long-range attack, search and rescue, antisubmarine and electronic warfare missions. A new class of carrier is on the horizon and the first, scheduled to be commissioned in 2015, will be the USS Gerald R. Ford.
Though the aircraft carrier is usually identified with US naval aviation, it must be remembered that aircraft have, since the earliest days, been flown from other classes of ships. Large capital ships – battleships and cruisers – were equipped with observation floatplanes throughout the Second World War and today antisubmarine warfare helicopters are flown from the decks of the US Navy’s smaller warships.
Likewise, naval aircraft have also carried out activities, in peace and war, from land bases. The service’s first combat missions were flown from airfields during World War I and long-range antisubmarine patrols were carried out during the Second World War. Today shore-based squadrons provide antisubmarine warfare, intelligence gathering, search and rescue, logistics and VIP transport assets for naval air operations.
A well-earned Bravo Zulu goes to the men and women of US naval aviation, past and present.
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