The escort aircraft carrier

Escort aircraft carrier

The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the USN or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft carrier used by the British Royal Navy , the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army Air Force, and the...

, also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the USN or "Woolworth Carrier" by the RN, was a small and slow type of aircraft carrier

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...

 used by the 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...

 in the Second World War. They were typically half the length and one-third the displacement of the larger fleet carriers. While they were slower, less armed and armored, and carried fewer planes, they were less expensive and could be built in less time. This was their principal advantage, as escort carriers could be completed in greater numbers as a stop-gap when fleet carriers were scarce. However, the lack of protection made escort carriers particularly vulnerable and several were sunk with great loss of life. The light carrier

Light aircraft carrier

A light aircraft carrier is an aircraft carrier that is smaller than the standard carriers of a navy. The precise definition of the type varies by country; light carriers typically have a complement of aircraft only ½ to ⅔ the size of a full-sized or "fleet" carrier.-History:In World War II, the...

 (hull classification symbol

Hull classification symbol

The United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration use hull classification symbols to identify their ship types and each individual ship within each type...

 CVL) was a similar concept to escort carriers in most respects, however they were intended for higher speeds to be deployed alongside fleet carriers.

Escort carriers were too slow to keep up with the main forces consisting of fleet carriers, battleships, and cruisers. Instead, they were used to defend convoys from enemy threats such as submarines and planes. In the invasions of mainland Europe and Pacific islands, escort carriers provided air support

Air Support

Air Support is a 1992 computer game for the Amiga and Atari ST. It is a top-down strategy game, with a first-person mode available for special missions. The game takes place during a retrofuturistic 21st century where all wars are fought in virtual reality. The game was given mostly positive...

 to ground forces during amphibious operations. Escort carriers also served as backup aircraft transports for fleet carriers, and ferried aircraft of all military services to points of delivery.

Key

Main guns	The number and type of the main battery Main battery Generally used only in the terms of naval warfare, the main battery is the primary weapon around which a ship was designed. "Battery" is in itself a common term in the military science of artillery. For example, the United States Navy battleship USS Washington had a main battery of nine guns...  guns
Displacement	Ship displacement Displacement (ship) A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load...  at full combat load
Propulsion	Number of shafts, type of propulsion system, and top speed generated
Service	The dates work began and finished on the ship and its ultimate fate
Laid down	The date the keel Keel In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...  began to be assembled
Commissioned	The date the ship was commissioned Ship commissioning Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...

Audacity class

Ship	Aircraft	Displacement	Propulsion	Service
				Converted	Commissioned	Fate
	8	11000 LT (11,176.6 t)	2 diesels, 1 shaft	March 1939	17 June 1941	Sunk by torpedoes from U-751 21 December 1941

Long Island class

Ship	Aircraft	Displacement	Propulsion	Service
				Converted	Commissioned	Fate
	16	12860 LT (13,066.4 t)	4 x diesels driving 1 shaft	1941	18 November 1941	Became Empire Lagan 1946

Avenger class

Ship	Aircraft	Displacement	Propulsion	Service
				Converted	Commissioned	Fate
	15	14500 LT (14,732.7 t)	2 diesels, 1 shaft	27 November 1940	2 March 1942	Torpedoed and sunk west of Gibraltar by U-155 on 15 November 1942
	15	14500 LT (14,732.7 t)	2 diesels, 1 shaft	8 December 1940	1 May 1942.	Sold to France and renamed Dixmunde 1945
	15	14500 LT (14,732.7 t)	2 diesels, 1 shaft	12 April 1941	1 July 1942	Destroyed by an aviation fuel explosion on 27 March. 1943

Attacker class

Ship	Aircraft	Displacement	Propulsion	Service
				Laid down	Commissioned	Fate
	24	9800 LT (9,957.3 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers 2 Westinghouse geared turbines driving 1 shaft	15 April 1941	15 November 1942	Returned to the USN on 12 February 1946
	24	9800 LT (9,957.3 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers, 2 Westinghouse geared turbines driving 1 shaft	17 April 1941	10 October 1942	Returned to the USN on 5 January 1946
	24	9800 LT (9,957.3 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers, 2 Westinghouse geared turbines driving 1 shaft	22 May 1942	11 January 1943	Returned to the USN on 29 December 1945
	24	9800 LT (9,957.3 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers, 2 Westinghouse geared turbines driving 1 shaft	28 June 1941	9 April 1943	Returned to the USN on 12 May 1946
	24	9800 LT (9,957.3 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers, 2 Westinghouse geared turbines driving 1 shaft	5 September 1941	20 February 1943	Returned to the USN on 11 December 1946
	24	9800 LT (9,957.3 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers, 2 Westinghouse geared turbines driving 1 shaft	6 October 1941	30 December 1942	Returned to the USN on 29 December 1945
	24	9800 LT (9,957.3 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers, 2 Westinghouse geared turbines driving 1 shaft	31 July 1941	14 June 1943	Returned to the USN on 12 February 1946
	24	9800 LT (9,957.3 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers, 2 Westinghouse geared turbines driving 1 shaft	15 December 1941	29 April 1943	Returned to the USN on 12 February 1946
	24	9800 LT (9,957.3 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers, 2 Westinghouse geared turbines driving 1 shaft		7 April 1943	Returned to the USN on 29 November 1945
	24	9800 LT (9,957.3 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers, 2 Westinghouse geared turbines driving 1 shaft	11 April 1942	26 April 1943	Returned to the USN on 26 February 1946
	24	9800 LT (9,957.3 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers, 2 Westinghouse geared turbines driving 1 shaft	3 November 1941	31 January 1943	Returned to the USN on 29 November 1945

Ruler class

Ship	Aircraft	Displacement	Propulsion	Service
				Laid down	Commissioned	Fate
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	25 May 1942	11 August 1943	Returned to the USN on 27 February 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	9 June 1942	31 July 1943	Returned to the USN on 13 December 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	23 June 1942	6 August 1943	Returned to the USN on 4 February 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	18 July 1942	20 July 1943	Returned to the USN on 17 January 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	3 August 1942	2 August 1943	Returned to the USN on 4 January 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	25 August 1942	4 August 1943	Returned to the USN on 6 April 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	9 September 1942	9 August 1943	Returned to the USN on 4 February 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	30 December 1942	25 August 1943	Returned to the USN on 26 January 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	9 October 1942	20 November 1943	Returned to the USN on 17 July 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	20 October 1942	7 September 1943 into the Royal Canadian Navy under Royal Navy control	Returned to USN 16 March 1945
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	31 October 1942	3 November 1943	Returned to the USN on 2 April 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	13 November 1942	27 September 1943	Returned to the USN on 6 December 1945
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	27 November 1942	25 October 1943	Returned to the USN on 13 December 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	17 December 1942	17 January 1944	Returned to the USN on 13 December 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	5 January 1943	8 November 1943	Returned to the USN on 21 November 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	1 January 1943	31 January 1944	Returned to the USN 3 March 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	22 February 1943	19 November 1943	Returned to the USN on 5 December 1945
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	12 March 1943	7 December 1943	Returned to the USN on 31 October 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	21 March 1943	22 December 1943	Returned to the USN on 29 January 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	26 April 1943	31 December 1943	Returned to the USN on 3 March 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	10 May 1943	20 January 1944	Returned to the USN on 6 April 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	21 May 1943	5 February 1944	Returned to the USN on 16 January 1946
	24	14000 LT (14,224.7 t)	2 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 2 Westinghouse geared turbines, 1 shaft	5 June 1943	21 February 1944	Returned to the USN on 20 May 1946

Activity class

Ship	Aircraft	Displacement	Propulsion	Service
				Laid down	Commissioned	Fate
align= left |	36	14250 LT (14,478.7 t)		1 February 1940	1944	Sold in March 1946

Nairana class

Ship	Aircraft	Displacement	Propulsion	Service
				Laid down	Commissioned	Fate
	15–20	0 LT (0 t)	2 sets 5-cylinder Doxford Diesels. 2 shafts	20 May 1943	12 December 1943	Transferred to Netherlands 20 March 1946
	15–20	16830 LT (17,100.1 t)		1 July 1942	3 December 1943	Sold 1947 and became MS Port Vindex
	15–20	16830 LT (17,100.1 t)		1 July 1942	3 December 1943	Sold 1947 and became MS Port Victor

Pretoria class

Ship	Aircraft	Displacement	Propulsion	Service
				Laid down	Commissioned	Fate
	15	23450 LT (23,826.4 t)		12 October 1938	9 April 1943	Sold 26 January 1946