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On November 14, 1910, pilot Eugene Burton Ely took off in a Curtiss plane from the bow of and later landed a Curtiss Model D on on 18 January 1911. In fiscal year (FY) 1920, Congress approved a conversion of collier into a ship designed for launching and recovering of airplanes at sea—the first aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. More aircraft carriers were approved and built, including the , the first class of aircraft carriers in the United States Navy designed and built as aircraft carriers from the keel. The United States declared war on Japan following the attack of 7 December 1941 on Pearl Harbor. The two nations revolutionized naval warfare in the course of the next four years; several of the most important sea battles were fought without either fleet coming within sight of the other. Most of the fleet carriers were built according to prewar designs,〔The first fleet carrier to follow the ''Essex'' class, USS ''Midway'', was not commissioned in time to participate in the war.〕 but the demand for air protection was so intense that two new classes were developed: light carriers (designated CVL), built on modified cruiser hulls, and escort carriers (CVE), whose main function was to protect Atlantic convoys from German U-boats. During the postwar period, carrier technology made many advances. The angled flight deck was adopted in 1955. The first "supercarrier" was commissioned in 1955 (although an earlier plan had been canceled by the Secretary of Defense), and the first nuclear-powered carrier in 1961, all during the Cold War. Also, a record for crossing the Pacific Ocean was set by a U.S. Navy carrier during the Korean War. Carriers recovered spacecraft after splashdown, including the ''Mercury-Redstone 3'' and ''Apollo 11'' missions. A new class, the , is planned for 2015. In 2007, the last conventionally powered (non-nuclear) carrier was decommissioned. ==Pre–World War II== On November 14, 1910, a 24‑year‑old civilian pilot, Eugene Burton Ely, took off in a 50 horsepower Curtiss plane from a wooden platform built over the bow of the cruiser ; later, on January 18, 1911, Ely landed a Curtiss Model D on a platform aboard . The Naval Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1920 provided funds for the conversion of into a ship designed for the launching and recovery of airplanes at sea—the United States Navy's first aircraft carrier.〔 Renamed , she was commissioned in 1922. Commander Kenneth Whiting was placed in command.〔 In 1924, ''Langley'' reported for duty with the Battle Fleet, ending two years as an experimental ship.〔 In 1922, Congress also authorized the conversion of the unfinished battlecruisers and the as permitted under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty, signed in February 1922.〔 The keel of , the first American ship designed and constructed as an aircraft carrier, was laid down in 1931, and the ship was commissioned in 1934.〔 Following ''Ranger'' and before the entry of the United States into World War II, four more carriers were commissioned. was essentially an improved version of ''Ranger''. The others were the three ships of the . 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「List of aircraft carrier classes of the United States Navy」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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