The Aircraft Carrier Story is just that: The story of the United States Navy aircraft carriers from the first USS Langley commissioned in 1928 to the future Ford-class carriers that will take the U.S. Navy into the 22nd century.

Aircraft carriers allow the United States to project the potent air power of the U.S. Navy worldwide without depending on land bases. Over the past twenty-five years, and probably more specifically since September 11, 2001, requirements for the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier strike groups to be on station to respond to a crisis have increased.

In the early days of the Korean War and Vietnam War only aircraft carriers were able to deploy high-performance aircraft to the battlefield.

In the current wars and battles against terrorists, and in other operations, such as enforcing the no-fly zones, only aircraft carriers can provide the bases needed for sustained combat and support operations.

This is the story of these huge warships. The Aircraft Carrier Story includes information on how they're built as well as the main areas on - and in - a carrier.

You might not think anyone would dare take on a carrier strike group but several weapons are being developed especially to take out a U.S. Navy carrier. The Aircraft Carrier Story talks about these weapons and how the Navy defends its carriers.

The bulk of The Aircraft Carrier Story provides detailed and historical information and photographs on all the past U.S. Navy aircraft carriers commissioned in the U.S. Navy from the very first, the USS Langley in 1922, to the recently decommissioned USS John F Kennedy.

But The Aircraft Carrier Story also includes a great deal of information on today's nuclear-powered supercarriers of the Nimitz-class to the USS Gerald R Ford scheduled to be commissioned in 2015 and the other two ships in the Ford-class.

The Aircraft Carrier Story also talks about the people on the carrier and the jobs they perform to keep the ten active U.S. Navy supercarriers operating efficiently.

The Aircraft Carrier Story is heavily illustrated with hundreds of photographs and illustrations. We even have a "Test Your Carrier Knowledge" quiz!

**CONTENTS**

Introduction
History of U.S. Aircraft Carriers
U.S. Aircraft Carrier Classes
What It Takes To Build A Carrier
Main Areas On An Aircraft Carrier
How The Navy Defends Its Carriers
Proud Aircraft Carriers Of The Past
Test Your Knowledge