Since World War II, aircraft carriers have been one of the most important weapons in the military.
A nation with flattops can influence affairs far from its shores, and the more of them it can deploy, the farther it can project force around the world.
Only a few countries can develop and maintain carriers because of the financial and technological requirements. Only a few countries can field a single carrier.
The US can deploy 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The UK has two new carriers and China is testing three flattops. France, Russia, and India all have one.
Once built, carriers can serve for a long time. The British and Indian navy's longest-serving ship was HMS Hermes, which spent a total of 58 years in service.
The flattop was powered by a conventionally powered Centaur class. Construction was paused for several years and the carrier was not launched until1953. In 1959 it joined the Royal Navy.
The flattop could carry up to five squadrons and began its career as an aircraft carrier.
Carriers use catapults to launch aircraft and arresting wires to recover them, allowing planes to take off and land on a deck that is a few hundred feet long instead of a mile or longer.
The amphibious assault ships of the US Navy were converted to support operations by the Royal Navy in the early 1970s. Helicopters became the primary aircraft after 800 troops were added.
The Royal Navy used the ship for anti-submarine warfare after the threat from the Soviets. This modification made Hermes a short take-off, Barrier Arrested Recovery, or STOBAR, carrier.
A ski jump was added to the bow of the ship and it was once again home to fighter jets.
The flagship of the British armada was theHMS Hermes, which was the main ship in the British effort to regain the islands from the Argentines.
The UK's success could not have been achieved without the help of the sister ship and the other STOBAR carrier,HMS Invincible. The British air dominance was due to the Sea Harrier fighter jets operating from the two flattops.
The Argentines tried to sink the British aircraft carriers multiple times with daring air attacks. The flattops emerged from the conflict unscathed, despite the fact that they sunk several escort ships. The British armada included two carriers that were sunk.
Post-Falklands life was brief. The carrier was retired in 1984 after a refit and an exercise, but it wasn't the end of its career.
The British tried to sell the carrier to Australia in the 1960's, but they were turned down because of the high cost of operating it.
In 1986 the carrier was sold to India. In May 1987 the carrier was commissioned into the Indian navy at a ceremony in the UK.
It was the flagship of the Indian Navy and participated in a number of operations, including in the Indian blockade of Pakistani ports during the Kargil War in 1999. An annual exercise involving the US, India, and other navies is called Malabar.
The Indian Navy decided to decommission the Hermes in 2017. The carrier was scrapped by the Indian government in 2019.
After years of attempts by state governments and private actors to preserve the carrier as a museum, it was broken up in 2021.
A defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran, and a graduate of the University of Baltimore, are some of the things that Stavros Atlamazoglou is.
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