Carrier Warfare
Carrier Warfare.The U.S. Navy has dominated aircraft carrier warfare since the 1920s. Conceived to provide scouting “eyes” for the fleet, the carrier evolved an attack capability that rivaled that of the battleships during the interwar period. Offensive tactics were developed during annual “fleet problems” by innovative admirals, notably Joseph Mason Reeves, and a small cadre of younger naval aviators led by John H. Towers. In World War II, the carrier became the major arbiter of American seapower, a role more or less perpetuated during and after the Cold War.
U.S. carrier forces have engaged in five principal roles and missions of varying priority according to operational objectives: (1) fleet support, using scouting planes for reconnaissance and fighter planes as defensive interceptors; (2) destruction of the enemy fleet, especially opposing carriers, with attack planes...
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