Anonymous commented at 2016-02-04 00:07:14 » #1894044

As the war went on and the dominance of carrier aviation became apparent, Japan pressed every ship they could get into services as a carrier. Ships like Chitose & Chiyoda began life as seaplane tenders, while Jun'yo and Chiyo were passenger liners. Fleet auxillary ships like this were gutted to make room for hangars and a flight deck was built over the existing above-deck structures.

The result was the CVE - Carrier, aViation, Escort. Around the globe the CVE design was much the same - take a freighter, put planes in the hold, build a flight deck on it. CVEs were often given secondary or rear-line roles, with ships like the Gambier Bay providing air support for landed forces or air escort for convoys and anti-submarine warfare. At the end of the day, as long as it can launch planes it's good.

0 Points Flag