Anti-submarine warfare carrier
Encyclopedia
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
whose primary role is to hunt and destroy submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s. This type of ship came into existence during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
as a development of the escort carriers used in the ASW role in the North Atlantic during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Role
After World War II, the main naval threat to most western nations was confrontation with the Soviet Union. The Soviets ended the war with a small navy and took the route of asymmetric confrontation against western surface ship superiority by investing heavily in submarines both for attack and later fielding submarine launched missiles. Several nations who purchased British and US surplus light carriers were most easily able to accommodate slow moving, less expensive, and easy to land antisubmarine aircraft from the 1960s forward such as the S-2 TrackerS-2 Tracker
The Grumman S-2 Tracker was the first purpose-built, single airframe anti-submarine warfare aircraft to enter service with the US Navy. The Tracker was of conventional design with twin engines, a high wing and tricycle undercarriage. The type was exported to a number of navies around the world...
which flew from the decks of US, Canadian, Australian, Dutch, Argentine, and Brazilian carriers or Alizé
Breguet Alizé
|-See also:-References:*Michell, Simon. . Jane's Civil and Military Aircraft Upgrades 1994-95. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Information Group, 1994. ISBN 0-7106-1208-7.-External links:*...
which flew from French and Indian ships, allowing these ships to still remain useful especially in the framework of NATO even as newer fighter and strike aircraft were becoming too heavy for the equipment designed for WW-II aircraft.
Improvement in long range shore based patrol and conventional ship based ASW helicopter capability combined with the increasing difficulty maintaining surplus WW-II carriers led to most of these ships being retired or docked by smaller nations from the 1970s to the mid-1980s. This trend in ASW force draw down only accelerated with the massive reduction in the operational Soviet/Russian submarine fleet which rarely went to sea in large numbers in the 1990s. Ships that could be called dedicated ASW carriers are now only found with the Japanese navy which operates helicopters and no fixed wing carrier based aircraft of any kind. Even the United States Navy, the last nation to regularly operate a dedicated fixed wing carrier based ASW aircraft, the S-3 Viking
S-3 Viking
The Lockheed S-3 Viking is a four-seat twin-engine jet aircraft that was used by the U.S. Navy to identify, track, and destroy enemy submarines. In the late 1990s, the S-3B's mission focus shifted to surface warfare and aerial refueling. The Viking also provided electronic warfare and surface...
, on its mixed role super carriers had already removed most ASW equipment in the 1990s from this aircraft and has now removed this type from service as of January 2009 without replacement. Interestingly, the Argentine Navy, currently without much hope of a replacement CATOBAR
CATOBAR
CATOBAR is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier...
carrier of its own, still trains several times a year landing S-2 Turbo Trackers
S-2 Tracker
The Grumman S-2 Tracker was the first purpose-built, single airframe anti-submarine warfare aircraft to enter service with the US Navy. The Tracker was of conventional design with twin engines, a high wing and tricycle undercarriage. The type was exported to a number of navies around the world...
aboard the Brazilian carrier São Paulo.
Much easier to operate from small decks than fixed-wing aircraft were ASW helicopters which flew from the decks of nearly all allied conventional carriers to this day and most LPH or STOVL carriers operated by the Soviet, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, British, and Thai navies. Since the only navy currently building new ASW through-deck helicopter-only ships is Japan, who terms their vessels as helicopter destroyers instead of ASW carriers, it is disputable if an ASW helicopter-only vessel is best defined as an ASW carrier or given a new designation.
List of ASW carriers
Aircraft carriers and helicopter carriers that had primary ASW duties from the mid-1960s onward.ASW aircraft carriers
Argentine Navy- ARA Independencia - one ship (ex-Colossus-class) ASW (retired/scrapped) Fixed Wing CATOBARCATOBARCATOBAR is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier...
S-2 and Helicopters - ARA Veinticinco de MayoARA Veinticinco de Mayo (V-2)The ARA Veinticinco de Mayo was an aircraft carrier in the Argentine Navy from 1969 to 1997. The English translation of the name is the Twenty-fifth of May, which is the date of Argentina's May Revolution in 1810....
- one ship (ex-Colossus-class) ASW (retired/scrapped) Fixed Wing CATOBARCATOBARCATOBAR is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier...
S-2 and Helicopters
Brazilian Navy
- NAeL Minas GeraisNAeL Minas GeraisNAeL Minas Gerais was a operated by the Marinha do Brasil from 1960 until 2001. The ship was laid down for the Royal Navy during World War II as , but was completed only shortly before the war's end, and did not see service...
- one ship (ex-Colossus-class) ASW (retired/scrapped) Fixed Wing CATOBARCATOBARCATOBAR is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier...
and Helicopters
French Navy
- Arromanches - one ship (ex-Colossus-class) ASW (retired/scrapped) Fixed Wing CATOBARCATOBARCATOBAR is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier...
and Helicopters
Italian Navy
- Giuseppe Garibaldi one ship, ASW helicopter carrier 1985-1988, STOVLSTOVLSTOVL is an acronym for short take off and vertical landing.This is the ability of some aircraft to take off from a short runway or take off vertically if it does not have a very heavy payload and land vertically...
fighters and ASW Helicopters carrier 1988-current.
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
The , or JMSDF, is the naval branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. It was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy after World War II....
- Hyūga classHyuga class helicopter destroyerThe are a type of helicopter carrier being built for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force . Two ships of the class were built to replace the two 7,000-ton Haruna-class helicopter destroyers. The new ships are the largest combatant ship operated by Japan since the Imperial Japanese Navy was...
, the Hyūga was commissioned Wednesday, March 18, 2009. It will be stationed in Yokosuka port, near TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Another ship of this class to be named the Ise was launched 21 August 2009, two more are planned but require approval for a total of four ships in this class. ASW, utility, and sea mine clearing helicopters
Spanish Navy
- DédaloSpanish aircraft carrier DédaloDédalo was the first Spanish aircraft carrier and the second aviation ship in the Spanish Navy . She remained the fleet's flagship until the Principe de Asturias replaced her...
- one ship (ex-Independence class) ASW helicopter carrier 1967-1976, STOVL carrier 1976-1989. Strike/ASW (retired/scrapped) STOVLSTOVLSTOVL is an acronym for short take off and vertical landing.This is the ability of some aircraft to take off from a short runway or take off vertically if it does not have a very heavy payload and land vertically...
and Helicopters - Principe de Asturias one ship STOVLSTOVLSTOVL is an acronym for short take off and vertical landing.This is the ability of some aircraft to take off from a short runway or take off vertically if it does not have a very heavy payload and land vertically...
fighters and Helicopters
Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Centaur class aircraft carrier
Centaur class aircraft carrier
The Centaur class of aircraft carriers of the British Royal Navy was the last of the light fleet carrier designs started during the closing years of World War II.-Ships In Class:HMS Centaur...
In 1979 recommissioned from reserve as a helicopter ASW carrier, due to delays with Invincible. (retired/scrapped) Centaur class aircraft carrier
Centaur class aircraft carrier
The Centaur class of aircraft carriers of the British Royal Navy was the last of the light fleet carrier designs started during the closing years of World War II.-Ships In Class:HMS Centaur...
Converted to helicopter ASW in 1976. (sold to India, renamed INS Viraat
INS Viraat
INS Viraat is a Centaur class aircraft carrier currently in service with the Indian Navy. INS Viraat is the flagship of the Indian Navy, the oldest carrier in service and one of two aircraft carriers in the Indian Ocean Region.The Viraat was completed and commissioned in 1959 as the Royal Navy's...
)
- Invincible classInvincible class aircraft carrierThe Invincible class is a class of light aircraft carrier operated by the British Royal Navy. Three ships were constructed, , and . The vessels were built as aviation-capable anti-submarine warfare platforms to counter the Cold War North Atlantic Soviet submarine threat, and initially embarked...
- three ships Strike/ASW/Amphibious Assault STOVLSTOVLSTOVL is an acronym for short take off and vertical landing.This is the ability of some aircraft to take off from a short runway or take off vertically if it does not have a very heavy payload and land vertically...
and Helicopters
The three ships of the Invincible class
Invincible class aircraft carrier
The Invincible class is a class of light aircraft carrier operated by the British Royal Navy. Three ships were constructed, , and . The vessels were built as aviation-capable anti-submarine warfare platforms to counter the Cold War North Atlantic Soviet submarine threat, and initially embarked...
, were originally designed as through deck cruisers for the ASW role, but ended up also equipped with Harrier STOVL fighters. Following the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
, however, the role of these ships was reconsidered, and they were used as conventional, albeit light, fleet aircraft carriers, in the power projection
Power projection
Power projection is a term used in military and political science to refer to the capacity of a state to conduct expeditionary warfare, i.e. to intimidate other nations and implement policy by means of force, or the threat thereof, in an area distant from its own territory.This ability is a...
role.
Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
- one ship (Majestic-class) Strike/ASW (retired/scrapped) Fixed Wing CATOBAR
CATOBAR
CATOBAR is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier...
and Helicopters
Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
- one ship (ex-Majestic-class) ASW (retired/scrapped) Fixed Wing CATOBAR
CATOBAR
CATOBAR is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier...
and Helicopters
Royal Netherlands Navy - one ship (ex-Colossus-class) ASW (retired/sold) Fixed Wing CATOBAR
CATOBAR
CATOBAR is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier...
and Helicopters
Soviet/Russian Navy
- Moskva class ASW helicopter support ship, large rear deck landing pad and hangar for 18 helicopters(retired/scrapped) Helicopters only
- Kiev Class Cruiser/CarrierKiev class aircraft carrierThe Kiev class carriers were the first class of fixed-wing aircraft carriers built in the Soviet Union....
Guided Missile Cruiser/Limited Air Defense/ASW(retired/sold) STOVLSTOVLSTOVL is an acronym for short take off and vertical landing.This is the ability of some aircraft to take off from a short runway or take off vertically if it does not have a very heavy payload and land vertically...
and Helicopters
United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
- Essex classEssex class aircraft carrierThe Essex class was a class of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy, which constituted the 20th century's most numerous class of capital ships with 24 vessels built in both "short-hull" and "long-hull" versions. Thirty-two were originally ordered; however as World War II wound down, six were...
during their careers ships fitted and assigned the CVS designation were ASW carriers with Fixed wing and helicopter anti-submarine aircraft and AEW aircraft, although for a short time some also carried an A-4 SkyhawkA-4 SkyhawkThe Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a carrier-capable ground-attack aircraft designed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The delta winged, single-engined Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated the A4D...
squadron for daytime combat air patrolCombat air patrolCombat air patrol is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft.A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, for the purpose of intercepting and destroying hostile...
(retired/scrapped) Fixed Wing CATOBARCATOBARCATOBAR is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier...
and Helicopters - Wasp classWasp class amphibious assault shipThe Wasp class is a class of Landing Helicopter Dock amphibious assault ships operated by the United States Navy. Based on the Tarawa class, with modifications to operate more advanced aircraft and landing craft, the Wasp class is capable of transporting almost the full strength of a United States...
, Tarawa ClassTarawa class amphibious assault shipThe Tarawa class is a ship class of amphibious assault ships operated by the United States Navy . Five ships were built by Ingalls Shipbuilding between 1971 and 1980; another four ships were planned, but later cancelled...
, and the now retired LPH Amphibious assault shipAmphibious assault shipAn amphibious assault ship is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault...
s were given secondary roles of Sea ControlSea Control ShipThe Sea Control Ship was a small aircraft carrier developed and conceptualized by the United States Navy under Chief of Naval Operations Elmo Zumwalt during the 1970s. Currently the term refers to naval vessels that can perform similar duties. The SCS was intended as an escort vessel, providing...
meaning they would deploy with a modified air compliment consisting of Helicopters for ASW coverage and a larger STOVL fighter group for air defense and even limited strike missions.