The

escort aircraft carrier The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft ...

, also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the USN or "Woolworth Carrier" by the RN, was a small and slow type of

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

used by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. They were typically half the length and one-third the displacement of the larger fleet carriers. While they were slower, less armed, unarmoured and carried fewer aircraft, they were less expensive and could be built more quickly. This was their principal advantage, as escort carriers could be completed in greater numbers as a stop-gap when fleet carriers were scarce. However, the lack of protection made escort carriers particularly vulnerable and several were sunk with great loss of life. The

light carrier A light aircraft carrier, or light fleet carrier, is an aircraft carrier that is smaller than the standard carriers of a navy. The precise definition of the type varies by country; light carriers typically have a complement of aircraft only one-h ...

(

hull classification symbol The United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use a hull classification symbol (sometimes called hull code or hull number) to identify their ships by type and by ind ...

CVL) was a similar concept to escort carriers in most respects, but they were designed for higher speeds for deployment with fleet carriers. Escort carriers were too slow to keep up with the main forces consisting of fleet carriers, battleships, and cruisers. Instead, they were used to defend convoys from enemy threats such as submarines and planes. In the invasions of mainland Europe and Pacific islands, escort carriers provided

air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement ...

to ground forces during

amphibious operation Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducted u ...

s. Escort carriers also served as backup aircraft transports for fleet carriers and ferried aircraft of all military services to points of delivery. In addition, escort carriers such as HMS ''Vindex'' and HMS ''Nairana'' played an important role in hunter-killer anti-submarine sweeps in company with RN and RCN destroyers, frigates and corvettes (e.g. 6th Canadian Escort Group and 2nd British Escort Group). HMS ''Vindex'' is credited with the sinking, or taking part in the sinking, of four U-boats (U344, U653, U765, U394). (1) "Escort Carrier" by Kenneth Poolman; (2) http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3298.html; (3) Wikipedia Escort carriers should not be confused with the Merchant Aircraft Carrier or CAM ship.

Key

''Audacity''

''Long Island'' class

''Avenger'' class

''Attacker'' class

''Ruler'' class

''Activity''

''Nairana'' class

''Pretoria Castle''

Notes

{{Lists of aircraft carriers R