# WWII German Aircraft Carriers

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-german-aircraft-carriers/573763>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 7, 2011, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-german-aircraft-carriers/573763 "2011-03-07T09:03:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2020, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-german-aircraft-carriers/573763/61 "2020-09-26T14:43:41Z")

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The _[Wasp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Wasp_(CV-7))_ — sort of a bargain-basement _Yorktown_ — was assigned to bolster the British Home Fleet in early 1942 so that the Royal Navy could deploy more assets to the Mediterranean (and to counter the _Tirpitz_ if she ever sortied). She was called back in mid-year when the loss of _Lexington_ at Coral sea and _Yorktown_ at Midway made her presence in the Pacific imperative.

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**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2020, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-german-aircraft-carriers/573763/62 "2020-09-30T06:18:44Z")

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IIRC the Ranger and the Wasp were the only fleet carriers in the Atlantic/African theater from the US. There were a lot of escort carriers though.

The Wasp and the Ranger were kinda small too and only barely merit a fleet carrier designation.

Just my $0.02 though…I have no idea how the navy officially regarded them.

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2020, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-german-aircraft-carriers/573763/63 "2020-09-30T13:46:34Z")

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Wiki doesn’t say, but I’d have no problem with calling them both fleet carriers (although on the small side, and soon obsolete).

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**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-german-aircraft-carriers/573763/64 "2020-09-30T15:44:31Z")

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_Wasp_ was severely compromised from the get-go by trying to fit a full aircraft complement into the remaining tonnage allowed by the Washington Naval Treaty. Since she was capable of deploying an air group similar to the _Yorktown_ class, by that standard she was a fleet carrier; unfortunately, among the sacrifices were armor and avgas protection.

(As the Wiki article points out, she was also the first US carrier with a deck-edge elevator — sort of a Ferris-wheel contraption that rotated the aircraft from the hangar to the flight deck. The article doesn’t explain why this design came about, but I suspect it may have been to save the flight deck space that would have been taken up by a third elevator.)

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