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List of aircraft carriers by country

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Countries currently operating fixed-wing aircraft carriers in dark blue (8); countries currently solely operating helicopter carriers in green (5); historic operators of carriers in light blue (4)


Various aircraft carriers around the world

The list of aircraft carriers by country includes all aircraft carriers organized by country of origin and service. Where appropriate, a single ship may be listed under multiple countries.

Numbers of fleet aircraft carriers by country

The table below does not include submarine aircraft carriers, seaplane tenders, escort carriers, merchant aircraft carriers, helicopter carriers or amphibious assault ships
The total includes ships under construction, but not ships that were never built.
Number of fleet aircraft carriers by operating nation
Country In service In reserve Decommissioned Under construction Never completed Total
Argentina Argentina 0 0 2 0 0 2
Australia Australia 0 0 3 0 0 3
Brazil Brazil 0 0 2 0 0 2
Canada Canada 0 0 3 0 0 3
China China 0 0 0 1 0 1
France France 1 0 7 0 7 15
Germany Germany 0 0 0 0 7 7
India India 10 0 2 2 0 14
Italy Italy 2 0 0 1 2 5
Japan Japan 0 0 4 0 4 8
Netherlands Netherlands 0 0 4 0 0 4
Russia Russia 1 0 1 1 2 5
Spain Spain 0 0 3 0 1 4
Turkey Turkey 0 0 0 1 0 1
Thailand Thailand 1 0 0 0 0 1
United Kingdom United Kingdom 0 0 40 2 12 54
United States United States 11 2 56 1 12 81
Total 18 2 125 8 47 202

Argentina

Retired:

Australia

Retired:

Brazil

Retired:

Canada

Retired:

China

Main article: Chinese aircraft carrier programme

Active:

  • Liaoning: never completed ex-Soviet Navy carrier sold to China by Ukraine being refitted in Dalian as Type 001. Handed on to PLAN on 23 September 2012 and entered active service on 25 September 2012.[1]

Under construction:[2]

  • Type 001A: under construction since 2013, launched on 26 April 2017 at Dalian Shipyard.[3]
  • Type 002: under construction since 2015 in Shanghai.

Planned:

France

Active:

Retired:

Never completed:

Germany

Main article: List of aircraft carriers of Germany

Never completed:

The two planned Italian carriers Aquila and Sparviero were seized by the Germans after the Italian Armistice but not completed.

India

Active:

Under construction:

Planned:

  • INS Vishal: 65,000 tons, Vikrant-class carrier. Yet to start, planned to enter service in 2025. It will be nuclear powered.[6]

Retired:

Italy

Active:


Under construction:


Never completed:

  • Sparviero (1927) (converted liner Augustus, not completed as carrier) – Sunk 5 October 1944
  • Aquila (1926) (converted liner Roma) – BU 1951–1952

Japan

Retired:

  • Hōshō (1921) – decommissioned 1946
  • Kaiyo (1943) – decommissioned 1945 and scrapped 1946

Sunk:

  • Kaga (1921) – sunk, Battle of Midway, June 1942
  • Akagi (1925) – sunk, Battle of Midway, June 1942
  • Ryūjō (1931) – sunk, Battle of the Eastern Solomons, August 1942
  • Ryūhō (1933) – damaged at Kure by U.S. air raid March 1945 and scrapped postwar
  • Template:Sclass-
    • Sōryū (1935) – sunk, Battle of Midway, June 1942
    • Hiryū (1937) – sunk, Battle of Midway, June 1942
  • Template:Sclass-
    • Shōhō (1935) – sunk, Battle of the Coral Sea, May 1942
    • Zuihō (1936) – sunk, Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 1944
  • Template:Sclass-
    • Chitose (1936) – seaplane tender from 1934 to 1942, rebuilt as light carrier and sunk at Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944
    • Chiyoda (1937) – sunk at Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 1944
  • Template:Sclass-
  • Template:Sclass-
    • Junyō (1939) – damaged during Battle of Philippine Sea, June 1944. Never repaired; scrapped postwar.
    • Hiyō (1939) – sunk, Battle of Philippine Sea, June 1944
  • Taihō (1943) – sunk, Battle of Philippine Sea, June 1944
  • Template:Sclass-
    • Amagi (1943) – used as anti-aircraft platform and sunk in July 1945
    • Unryū (1943) – sunk by U.S. submarine Redfish, December 1944
    • Katsuragi (1944) – used as transport to repatriate Japanese troops postwar and then scrapped
  • Shinano (1944) – sunk by U.S. submarine Archerfish, November 1944
  • Mizuho (1939) – sunk by U.S. submarine USS Drum, 1 May 1942.

Only Hōshō, Junyō, Katsuragi and Ryuho survived the war and these were scrapped by 1948.

Never completed:

  • Template:Sclass-
    • Aso 4th unit of Unryū class (not completed)
    • Ikoma 5th unit of Unryū class (not completed)
    • Kasagi 6th unit of Unryū class (not completed)
  • Ibuki - heavy cruiser conversion; scrapped post-war

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, July 21, 1971, sent to Faslane to be scrapped
  • Rapana class:
    • Moter vessel Gadila of the Dutch Merchant Navy was a converted Royal Dutch Shell oil tanker along with her sister ship MV Macoma.
    • Moter vessel Macoma together with MV Gadila were the first Dutch aircraft carriers.

Russia

See also: list of aircraft carriers of Russia and the Soviet Union

The Russian Navy was established in December 1991, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, most Soviet aircraft carriers were transferred over to Russia.

Active:

Retired:

Soviet Union

See also: list of aircraft carriers of Russia and the Soviet Union

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.

In service at the end of Soviet state:

Never completed:

  • Template:Sclass-
    • Varyag (not commissioned) — to Ukraine (1991); rebuilt, tested and commissioned by the Chinese PLAN as Liaoning
  • Ulyanovsk class
    • Ulyanovsk (not commissioned) — scrapped (1991)

Spain

Active:

  • Juan Carlos I : 27,079 tonne STOVL carrier in active service, commissioned 30 September 2010.

Retired:

Never completed:

Turkey

Under construction:

  • 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. The vessel is intended to meet the various needs and requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces, such as sustaining long-endurance, long-distance military combat or humanitarian relief operations; while acting as a command center and flagship for the Turkish Navy.

Thailand

Role Changed:

  • 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.[9] Since 2006 is solely operated as a helicopter carrier.

Ukraine

Never completed:

United Kingdom

Main article: List of aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy

Active:

  • N/A

Under Construction:

Sunk:

Retired:

Never completed:

United States

Main article: list of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy

The United States Navy has the world's largest fleet of nuclear powered aircraft carriers,[10] comprising the Nimitz class and Gerald R. Ford class supercarriers.

The United States also has several full-deck amphibious assault ships, such as the Wasp and America classes, which are larger than many of the aircraft carriers of other navies .[11]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "China unveils first aircraft carrier to enter service". Fox News. 25 September 2012.
  2. ^ "China begins to build its own aircraft carrier". The Washington Times.
  3. ^ "China, Sending a Signal, Launches a Home-Built Aircraft Carrier". The New York Times. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  4. ^ "INS Vikrant to be ready by 2018, says Navy chief Admiral RK Dhowan". indiatoday.intoday.in. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  5. ^ "Government targets to deliver India's first indigenous aircraft carrier by 2018 end | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". dna. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ "Multirole LHD". Fincantieri.com. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  8. ^ Busquets, C.; Campanera, A.; Coello, J.L. (1994). Los portaaviones españoles (in Spanish). Agualarga Editores. ISBN 84-88959-02-8.
  9. ^ Carpenter & Wiencek, Asian Security Handbook 2000, p. 302.
  10. ^ "Largest aircraft carrier fleet". Guinness World Records.
  11. ^ "America Class Amphibious Assault Ship | Military-Today.com". www.military-today.com.

References

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. ISBN 0-87021-902-2
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