Naval aviation

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Sqn. Cdr. E. H. Dunning makes the first landing of an aircraft on a moving ship, a Sopwith Pup on HMS Furious, August 2, 1917.

Naval Aviation is the application of manned military air power by navies. Maritime Aviation is the operation of aircraft in a maritime role under the command of land based forces such as RAF Coastal Command or United States Coast Guard.

Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier aircraft must be relatively sturdy to withstand demanding carrier operations. They must be able to launch in a short distance and be sturdy and flexible enough to come to a sudden stop on a pitching deck; they typically have robust folding mechanisms that allow higher numbers of them to be stored in below-decks hangars. These aircraft are designed for many purposes including air-to-air combat, surface attack, submarine attack, search and rescue, materiel transport, weather observation, reconnaissance and wide area command and control duties.

In the United States military services, Marine Aviation is supported by Navy aircraft carriers and associated Navy personnel.

Contents

History

Two of the Imperial Japanese Navy seaplane carrier Wakamiya's Maurice Farman seaplanes stationed on land in Tsingtao in 1914.

The foundations of naval aviation were set in June 1912, when Lieutenant Dimitrios Kamberos of the Hellenic Aviation Service flew with the "Daedalus", a Farman Aviation Works aircraft that had been converted into a seaplane, at an average speed of 110Km per hour, achieving a new world record.[1] Then, on January 24, 1913 the first wartime naval aviation interservice cooperation mission, took place above the Dardanelles. Greek Army First lieutenant Michael Moutoussis and Greek Navy Ensign Aristedes Moraitines, on board the Maurice Farman hydroplane (floatplane/seaplane), drew a diagram of the positions of the Turkish fleet against which they dropped four bombs. This event was widely commented upon in the press, both Greek and international[2]. In the United States, Captain Henry C. Mustin is often referred to as "The Father of Naval Aviation." He successfully designed the concept of the catapult launch, and in 1915 made the first catapult launching from a ship underway.

WWI and the first carrier strikes

The first strike from a carrier against a land target as well as a sea target took place in September 1914 when the Imperial Japanese Navy seaplane carrier Wakamiya conducted the world's first ship-launched air raids[3] from Kiaochow Bay during the Battle of Tsingtao in China.[4] The four Maurice Farman seaplanes bombarded German-held land targets (communication centers and command centers) and damaged a German minelayer in the Tsingtao peninsula from September until November 6, 1914, when the Germans surrendered.[5] On the Western front the first naval air raid occurred on December 25, 1914 when twelve seaplanes from HMS' Engadine, Riviera and Empress (cross-channel steamers converted into seaplane carriers ) attacked the Zeppelin base at Cuxhaven. The attack was not a success though a German warship was damaged.

Development in the interwar period

In the United States, Billy Mitchell's 1921 demonstration of the battleship-sinking ability of land-based heavy bombers made many United States Navy admirals angry. Some men such as Captain (soon Rear Admiral) William A. Moffett saw the publicity stunt as a means to increase funding and support for the Navy's aircraft carrier projects. Moffett was sure that he had to move decisively in order to avoid having his fleet air arm fall into the hands of a proposed combined Land/Sea Air Force which took care of all the United States's airpower needs. That exact fate had befallen United Kingdom's two air services in 1918; the Royal Flying Corps had been combined with the Royal Naval Air Service to become the Royal Air Force, a condition which would remain until 1937. Moffett supervised the development of naval air tactics throughout the '20s.

UK carrier aircraft:

UK catapult-launched spotter aircraft

US carrier aircraft:

US catapult-launched spotter aircraft

US seaplanes

Japanese carrier aircraft

Japanese catapult-launched spotter aircraft

Kriegsmarine catapult-launched spotter aircraft

World War II

World War II saw the emergence of naval aviation as a significant, often decisive, element in the war at sea. The principal users were Japan, United States (both with Pacific interests to protect) and the United Kingdom. Other colonial powers, eg France and the Netherlands, showed a lesser interest. Other powers, such as Germany, Italy and the Soviet Union, did not develop naval aviation, for geographic or political reasons.

During the course of the war, seaborne aircraft were used in fleet actions at sea (Battle of Midway, Bismarck), pre-emptive strkes against naval units in port (Battle of Taranto, Attack on Pearl Harbor), support of ground forces (Battle of Okinawa, Allied invasion of Italy) and anti-submarine warfare (Second Battle of the Atlantic).

Experience showed that there was a need for widespread use of aircraft which could not be met quickly enough by the building of new fleet aircraft carriers. This was particularly true in the north Atlantic, where convoys were highly vulnerable to U-boat attack. The British authorities used unorthodox, temporary, but effective means of giving air protection such as CAM ships and merchant aircraft carriers, merchant ships modified to carry a small number of aircraft. The solution to the problem were large numbers of mass-produced merchant hulls converted into escort aircraft carriers (also known as "jeep carriers"). These basic vessels, unsuited to fleet action by their capacity, speed and vulnerability, nevertheless provided air cover where it was needed. The French Navy built a large aircraft carrying submarines (Surcouf), but it was ineffectice.

The Royal Navy had observed the impact of naval aviation and, obliged to prioritise their use of resources, abandoned battleships as the mainstay of the fleet. HMS Vanguard was therefore the last British battleship and her sisters were cancelled. The United States had already instigated a large construction programme (which was also cut short) but these large ships were mainly used as anti-aircraft batteries or for shore bombardment.

UK carrier aircraft:

UK catapult-launched spotter aircraft

US carrier aircraft:

US catapult-launched spotter aircraft

Japanese carrier aircraft

Japanese catapult-launched spotter aircraft

Kriegsmarine catapult-launched spotter aircraft

Luftwaffe seaplanes

Luftwaffe long-range antishipping bomber and reconnaissance

Luftwaffe torpedo bomber and reconnaissance

1950s

1960s

1970s

US Carrier Aircraft

1980s

UK Carrier Aircraft

Argentine Carrier Aircraft

1990s

US Carrier Aircraft

2000s

Strategic projection

Carrier-based naval aviation provides a country's seagoing forces with air cover over areas that may not be reachable by land-based aircraft, giving them a considerable advantage over navies composed primarily of surface combatants.

In the case of the United States Navy during and after the Cold War, virtual command of the sea in many of the world's waterways allowed it to deploy aircraft carriers and project air power almost anywhere on the globe. By operating from international waters, U.S. carriers can bypass the need for conventional airbases or overflight rights, both of which can be politically difficult to acquire.

Anti-submarine

Strategic power projection is not the only function of naval aviation. During the Cold War, the navies of NATO faced a significant threat from Soviet submarine forces, specifically Soviet Navy SSN and SSGN assets. This resulted in the development and deployment of light aircraft carriers with major anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities by European NATO navies. One of the most effective weapons against submarines is the ASW helicopter, several of which could be based on these light aircraft carriers.

These light carriers were typically around 20,000 tons displacement and carried a mix of ASW helicopters and BAe Sea Harrier or Harrier II V/STOL aircraft. They were:

There are a dwindling number of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters deployed aboard aircraft carriers today.

Modern fixed-wing carrier aircraft

Indian Navy Sea Harriers and U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornets flying together

Modern shipborne naval helicopters (ASW/SAR)

Modern shipborne naval helicopters (Airborne assault)

References

  1. ^ Hellenic Air Force History - The first Steps
  2. ^ Hellenic Air Force History - Balcan Wars
  3. ^ Wakamiya is "credited with conducting the first successful carrier air raid in history"Source:GlobalSecurity.org, also "the first air raid in history to result in a success" (here)
  4. ^ "Sabre et pinceau", Christian Polak, p92
  5. ^ IJN Wakamiya Aircraft Carrier
  • Clark G. Reynolds, The fast carriers: the forging of an air navy (1968; 1978; 1992)

See also

External links

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