During World War II the aircraft carrier took over from the battleship as the capital ship of the world’s navies. The rapid development of naval aircraft after the war soon rendered many of the ships constructed during the war obsolete, and prompted the development of the very large conventionally- and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers which have proved to be very effective as power-projection and strike assets in recent decades.
However, the cost of these complex ships and their aircraft is now so great that attention is again being directed towards less-expensive options. This presentation reviewed the design development of these large ships and the challenges facing ship designers when developing carriers which were intended to be the backbone of the major powers’ fleets well into the second half of the 21st Century.
John’s presentation is written up in the May 2016 issue of The Australian Naval Architect.
The vote of thanks was proposed, and the certificate and “thank you” bottle of wine presented, by the President of the Australian Division, Tony Armstrong.
