Naval Aviation Research Papers

917 Words4 Pages

US Naval Aviation Research Paper

The complex history of US naval aviation has forever impacted the future of warfare, especially naval warfare. The development of naval aircraft created an extension to military power to reach far and wide, in a very considerable force.

On November 14, 1910, Eugene Ely and with the help of Glenn Curtis, attempted the first take-off of an airplane from a naval vessel, the light cruiser USS Birmingham. Eugene?s flight was short and perilous for 2 ? miles where we landed at Willoughby Spit, a small peninsula in Norfolk, Virginia. With the successful take-off from a ship and a successful landing, the beginning of naval aviation was on the rise. On January 18, 1911, Eugene Ely once again with the help of …show more content…

In US naval aviation that path started with Eugene Ely?s flights in a Wright Flier off the USS Birmingham and USS Pennsylvania. A year later on November 12, 1912, Theodore Ellyson made the first successful launch from a naval aircraft catapult off a coal barge. Later on, in March 20, 1920, the USS Jupiter, a collier, was recommissioned as the USS Langley (CV-1), the United States of America?s first aircraft carrier. The next big step in naval aviation was the commissioning of the USS Lexington (CV-2) on October 3, 1925 and the USS Saratoga (CV-3) on April 7, 1925. These two aircraft carriers now making up 2/3 of the USA?s carrier fleet started to resemble modern aircraft carriers, but there was still a long road ahead. Throughout WWI and WWII many aircraft carriers were commissioned and fought in the wars, developments were made, but the next integral development of modern day US naval aviation came in 1940 with the introduction of radar on an aircraft carrier, the first being the USS Yorktown (CV-5). The fifth and final giant leap in naval aviation was the introduction of the jet to aircraft carriers, this created many new problems with also created many new solutions such as the arresting system in place on modern aircraft carriers. Jets use a considerably different way of arresting planes that older propeller driven aircraft …show more content…

From a small wright flier off the back of a warship to an immense monster-of-the-seas ship with the worlds most advanced aircraft, US naval history has had a long road to get to the modern age. It has created a giant impact on the past and an enormous one on the future.

Works Cited
Captain W.H. Sitz, USMC. A History Of U.S. Naval Aviation. 1930. 18 May 2018. (-- removed HTML --) .
Jakab, Peter. Eugene Ely and the Birth of Naval Aviation?January 18, 1911. 18 January 2011. 18 May 2018. (-- removed HTML --) .
Knighton, Andrew. A Huge WW2 Naval Battle in the Pacific ? But None Of The Ships Could See Each Other. 6 October 2016. 18 May 2018. (-- removed HTML --) .
Naval Aviation News. Naval Aviation Centennial Timeline: U.S. Naval Aviation Comes of Age, 1936-1961. 27 April 2011. 18 May 2018. (-- removed HTML --) .
NHHC. America?s First Aircraft Carrier ? USS Langley (CV 1) #Warfighting First, #Platforms, #People . 20 March 2014. 18 May 2018. (-- removed HTML --) .
Tillman, Barret. The Ten Most Pivotal Events in U.S. Naval Aviation. May 2011. 18 May 2018. (-- removed HTML --) .

I just wanted to mention that there are 6 sources because I do not need more, as I mentioned in the previous portfolios, I enjoy war history and naval history so I knew most of my information here