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Seller Inventory n. Items related to The Little Giants: U. Escort Carriers Against Japan. The Little Giants: U. Publisher: Naval Institute Press , This specific ISBN edition is currently not available. View all copies of this ISBN edition:. Synopsis About this title Describes the use of escort carriers to hunt submarines and provide support for ground forces, and recounts combat experiences, including kamikaze attacks "synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title. About the Author : William T. Buy New Learn more about this copy. Other Popular Editions of the Same Title.
Too few fleet carriers were available to simultaneously transport aircraft to distant bases, support amphibious invasions, offer carrier landing training for replacement pilots, conduct anti-submarine patrols, and provide defensive air cover for deployed battleships and cruisers.
Conversion of existing ships and hulls under construction for other purposes provided additional aircraft carriers until new construction became available.
Conversions of cruisers and passenger liners with speed similar to fleet carriers were identified by the U. Slower conversions were classified as "escort carriers" and were considered naval auxiliaries suitable for pilot training and transport of aircraft to distant bases.
The Royal Navy had recognized a need for carriers to defend its trade routes in the s. In the interim, before escort carriers could be supplied, they also brought in merchant aircraft carriers that could operate four aircraft. In , Admiral William Halsey recommended construction of naval auxiliaries for pilot training. Operation Torch and North Atlantic anti-submarine warfare proved these ships capable aircraft carriers for ship formations moving at the speed of trade or amphibious invasion convoys. It was quickly found that the escort carriers had better performance than light carriers, which tended to pitch badly in moderate to high seas.
The Commencement Bay class was designed to incorporate the best features of American CVLs on a more stable hull with a less expensive propulsion system. Magazine protection was minimal in comparison to fleet aircraft carriers. Lo , Ommaney Bay and Bismarck Sea —were destroyed by kamikazes , the largest ships to meet such a fate. By comparison, a late Essex -class fleet carrier could carry a total of aircraft organized into separate fighter, bomber and torpedo-bomber squadrons.
The island superstructure on these ships was small and cramped, and located well forward of the funnels unlike on a normal-sized carrier, where the funnels were integrated into the island. Although the first escort carriers had only one aircraft elevator, having two elevators one fore and one aft , along with the single aircraft catapult, quickly became standard. The carriers employed the same system of arresting cables and tail hooks as on the big carriers, and procedures for launch and recovery were the same as well. It was large enough to justify the existence of facilities such as a permanent canteen or snack bar, called a gedunk bar , in addition to the mess.
The bar was open for longer hours than the mess and sold several flavors of ice cream , along with cigarettes and other consumables.
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There were also several vending machines available on board. In all, Allied escort carriers were launched or converted during the war. The remaining escort carriers were U. Like the British, the first U.
The Bogue -class carriers were based on the hull of the Type C3 cargo ship. The last 69 escort carriers of the Casablanca and Commencement Bay classes were purpose-designed and purpose-built carriers drawing on the experience gained with the previous classes. Originally developed at the behest of the United Kingdom to operate as part of a North Atlantic convoy escort, rather than as part of a naval strike force, many of the escort carriers produced were assigned to the Royal Navy for the duration of the war under the Lend-Lease act.
They supplemented and then replaced the converted merchant aircraft carriers that were put into service by the British and Dutch as an emergency measure until the escort carriers became available. As convoy escorts, they were used by the Royal Navy to provide air scouting, to ward off enemy long-range scouting aircraft and, increasingly, to spot and hunt submarines. Often additional escort carriers also joined convoys, not as fighting ships, but as transporters, ferrying aircraft from the U.
In this case, the aircraft cargo could be doubled by storing aircraft on the flight deck as well as in the hangar. The ships sent to the Royal Navy were slightly modified, partly to suit the traditions of that service. Among other things the ice cream making machines were removed, since they were considered unnecessary luxuries on ships, which served grog and other alcoholic beverages.
The heavy duty washing machines of the laundry room were also removed since "all a British sailor needs to keep clean is a bucket and a bar of soap" quoted from Warrilow. Other modifications were due to the need for a completely enclosed hangar when operating in the North Atlantic and in support of the Arctic convoys. Meanwhile, the U. In the North Atlantic, they supplemented the escorting destroyers by providing air support for anti-submarine warfare.
In the Pacific theater , escort carriers lacked the speed to sail with fast carrier attack groups, so were often tasked to escort the landing ships and troop carriers during the island-hopping campaign. In this role they provided air cover for the troopships and flew the first wave of attacks on beach fortifications in amphibious landing operations. Poolman, Kenneth. Power, Hugh Irvin. Carrier Lexington. Raven, Alan. Essex-class Carriers. Reese, Lee Fleming ed. Lexington Book Company, Reynolds, Clark G.
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The Little Giants: U.S. Escort Carriers Against Japan and millions of other books are available for Amazon Kindle. The Little Giants: U.S. Escort Carriers Against Japan (Bluejacket Books) Paperback – April 15, The author of eight books on World War II aviation topics, he died. The Little Giants book. Read 2 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Describes the use of escort carriers to hunt submarines and provid.
Romano, Angelo. Italy: Golden Wings Publications, Rose, Lisle Abbott. Rowe, John S. Morison comps. Self, Chuck. Shreveport, LA: Chuck Self, John, Philip A. Paducah, KY: Turner Pub. Stafford, Edward P. Steichen, Edward. Stern, Robert C. The Lexington-Class Carriers.
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