These aircraft carriers marked the beginning of US naval supremacy

The United States Navy recently announced plans to retire the USS Nimitz, which is currently the oldest aircraft carrier in service for our Navy. The USS Nimitz first entered service in 1976. Its history has been varied, from a hostage rescue mission in Iran in 1979 to operations in the South China Sea in 2023. A decommissioning plan has been established for November 2024, with the official deactivation occurring by 2027 at the latest. While the USS Nimitz was instrumental in projecting US naval power, our use of aircraft carriers in the military actually began five decades earlier. (Here are the largest US aircraft carriers in service, ranked.)

Aircraft carriers are warships that can transport, arm, deploy and recover aircraft. This strongly supports military operations, allowing the military to respond quickly to potential crises or conflicts. Aircraft carriers also allow for more ease as we don’t have to rely on local military bases. Modern aircraft carriers are undoubtedly more technologically advanced than previous ships and contain more equipment. But the aircraft carriers of America’s past did contribute to significant victories during major conflicts, particularly during World War II. Here at 24/7 Wall St. has identified all 33 aircraft carriers in our Navy’s early history using US naval archives and other sources. We have also included when these ships were commissioned and how long they remained in service. Carriers are listed in order of body classification symbols.

Why we cover US Navy history

Before and throughout World War II, the United States used naval power to gain a strategic advantage over its enemies. Navy aircraft carriers allowed for larger attacks. Soon, the entire world saw the power of the US Navy, positioning us as the world leader in armed forces. Navy aircraft carriers have evolved over time, but they remain important to shaping military strategy—and even to meeting humanitarian needs worldwide. (Are aircraft carriers still relevant for defense?)

These are the 33 aircraft carriers that started US naval history:

1. CV-1 Langley

• Class: Langley
• Commissioned: March 20, 1922
• Lifespan: 19 years, 11 months and seven days
• Status: Wrecked and sunk south of Java

2. CV-2 Lexington

• Class: Lexington
• Commissioned: December 14, 1927
• Lifespan: 14 years, 4 months and 24 days
• Status: Sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea

3. CV-3 Saratoga

• Class: Lexington
• Commissioned: November 16, 1927
• Lifespan: 18 years, 8 months and 12 days
• Status: Sunk in a nuclear test target near Bikini Atoll

4. CV-4 Ranger

• Class: Ranger
• Commissioned: June 4, 1934
• Lifespan: 12 years, 4 months and 14 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1947

5. CV-5 Yorktown

• Class: Yorktown
• Commissioned: September 30, 1937
• Lifespan: 4 years, 8 months and 8 days
• Status: Sunk at the Battle of Midway

6. CV-6 Enterprise

• Class: Yorktown
• Commissioned: May 12, 1938
• Lifespan: 8 years, 9 months and 5 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1960

7. CV-7 Wasp

• • Class: hornet
  • Commissioned: April 25, 1940
  • Lifespan: 2 years, 4 months and 21 days

• Status: Sunk during the Guadalcanal campaign

8. CV-8 Hornet

• Class: Yorktown
• Commissioned: October 20, 1941
• Lifespan: 1 year and 6 days
• Status: Sunk at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands

9. CV-9 Essex

• Class: Essex
• Commissioned: December 31, 1942
• Lifespan: 26 years, 5 months and 20 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1975

10. CV-10 Yorktown

• Class: Essex
• Commissioned: April 15, 1943
• Lifespan: 27 years, 2 months and 12 days
• Status: Preserved at Patriot’s Point Naval & Maritime Museum – Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

11. CV-11 Intrepid

• Class: Essex
• Commissioned: August 16, 1943
• Lifespan: 30 years, 6 months and 27 days
• Status: Preserved at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum – New York, New York

12. CV-12 Hornet

• Class: Essex
• Commissioned: November 20, 1943
• Lifespan: 26 years, 6 months and 6 days
• Status: Preserved at USS Hornet Museum–Alameda, California

13. CV-13 Franklin

• Class: Essex
• Commissioned: January 31, 1944
• Lifespan: 2 years, 11 months and 17 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1966

14. CV-14 Ticonderoga

• Class: Essex (extended arc)
• Commissioned: May 8, 1944
• Lifespan: 29 years, 3 months, 24 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1975

15. CV-15 Randolph

• Class: Essex (extended arc)
• Commissioned: October 9, 1933
• Lifespan: 24 years, 4 months and 4 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1975

16. CV-16 Lexington

• Class: Essex
• Commissioned: February 17, 1943
• Lifespan: 48 years, 8 months and 22 days
• Status: Preserved at USS Lexington Museum On The Bay–Corpus Christi, Texas

17. CV-17 Bunker Hill

• Class: Essex
• Commissioned: May 25, 1953
• Lifespan: 4 years, 1 month and 14 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1973

18. CV-18 Wasp

• Class: Essex
• Commissioned: November 24, 1943
• Lifespan: 28 years, 7 months and 7 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1973

19. CV-19 Hancock

• Class: Essex (extended arc)
• Commissioned: April 15, 1944
• Lifespan: 31 years, 9 months and 15 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1976

20. CV-20 Bennington

• Class: Essex
• Commissioned: August 6, 1944
• Lifespan: 25 years, 5 months and 9 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1944

21. CV-21 Boxer

• Class: Essex (extended arc)
• Commissioned: April 16, 1945
• Lifespan: 24 years, 7 months and 15 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1971

22. CVL-22 Independence

• Class: Independence
• Commissioned: January 14, 1943
• Lifespan: 3 years, 7 months and 14 days
• Status: Sunk in 1951

23. CVL-23 Princeton

• Class: Independence
• Commissioned: February 25, 1943
• Lifespan: 1 year, 7 months and 29 days
• Status: Sunk at the Battle of Leyte Gulf

24. CVL-24 Belleau wood

• Class: Independence
• Commissioned: March 31, 1943
• Lifespan: 3 years, 9 months and 13 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1960

25. CVL-25 Cowpens

• Class: Independence
• Commissioned: May 28, 1943
• Lifespan: 3 years, 7 months and 16 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1960

26. CVL-26 Monterey

• Class: Independence
• Commissioned: June 17, 1943
• Lifespan: 12 years, 6 months and 30 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1971

27. CVL-27 Langley

• Class: Independence
• Commissioned: August 31, 1943
• Lifespan: 3 years, 5 months and 11 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1964

28. CVL-28 Cabot

• Class: Independence
• Commissioned: July 24, 1943
• Lifespan: 11 years, 5 months and 28 days
• Status: Scrapped in 2002

29. CVL-29 Bataan

• Class: Independence
• Commissioned: November 17, 1943
• Lifespan: 10 years, 4 months and 23 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1961

30. CVL-30 San Jacinto

• Class: Independence
• Commissioned: December 15, 1943
• Lifespan: 3 years, 2 months and 14 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1972

31. CV-31 Bon Homme Richard

• Class: Essex
• Commissioned: November 26, 1944
• Lifespan: 26 years, 7 months and 6 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1992

32. CV-32 Leyte

• Class: Essex (extended arc)
• Commissioned: April 11, 1946
• Lifespan: 13 years, 1 month and 4 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1970

33. CV-33 Kearsarge

• Class: Essex (extended arc)
• Commissioned: May 2, 1946
• Lifespan: 23 years, 8 months and 13 days
• Status: Scrapped in 1974

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