Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present

by Roger Chesneau

Containing over 400 photographs and line drawings, this book provides essential information on what has become the largest and most complex fighting machine devised by man.

Genres: Military Fiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1984

Reviews

[Manny]

My son David went through a phase of being very interested in aircraft carriers, and he has several books on them. This is the one I like most. Even for people who think they couldn't care less, it contains a surprising number of memorable facts.

In particular, aircraft carriers underline what a huge military superiority the US has, primarily thanks to the fact that it's been the world's largest economy for a long time. When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and got the US into WW II, Churchill commented that he couldn't see this as anything but a strategic blunder: you only needed to look at their relative production of steel. The later course of the war proved him correct. On Dec 7, 1941, the US was behind Japan on aircraft carriers, with 8 against 12. Then the US switched over to war production mode; by 1945, they had a hundred of them, and just about all the Japanese ones had been sunk or crippled.

The US has actually increased its aircraft carrier superiority since then, and now has more carriers than the rest of the world combined. In terms of acreage of flight deck, they have about four times the combined resources of the rest of the world. Without wanting to belabour the point, aircraft carriers are just about the most useful resource you can have if you want to maintain an aggressive military foreign policy.

[Steven Busby]

Excellent review of nearly every aircraft carrier built. Published in 1984, so not much information one the United States supercarriers of today, but still an excellent resource for the older ships.

[Bobble Hat]

A good comprehensive look at carrier design and service histories across the piece

[Mark]

Roger Chesneau's Aircraft Carriers of the World (1914 to the Present), is excellent.
It has all the elements that a good warship reference ought to have: black and white images of the ships, top-side line drawings of the vessels, and detailed specifications of each class in a quick reference box. The information on each of the major aircraft carrier types is concise, relevant, and to the point. The data given is useful and utilitarian rather than glossy or fluffy.
Carriers of the World is a "nuts-and-bolts" reference book of 5 star quality.
I highly recommend it to anyone looking to expand their naval warship library.