1942 Design Light Fleet Carrier
The 1942 Design Light Fleet Carrier, commonly referred to as the British Light Fleet Carrier, was a light aircraft carrier design created by the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and used by eight naval forces between 1944 and 2001. They were designed and constructed by civilian shipyards to serve as an intermediate step between the expensive, full-size fleet aircraft carriers and the less expensive but limited-capability escort carriers.
HMS Glory in 1946
Magnificent (left) and Powerful under construction at Harland and Wolff in 1944
Some of Sydney's Bofors guns firing during gunnery practice in 1951
HMS Glory during her 1951 deployment to the Korean War
A light aircraft carrier, or light fleet carrier, is an aircraft carrier 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-half to two-thirds the size of a full-sized fleet carrier. A light carrier was similar in concept to an escort carrier in most respects, however light carriers were intended for higher speeds to be deployed alongside fleet carriers, while escort carriers usually defended equally slow convoys and provided air support during amphibious operations.
Italian Navy's Giuseppe Garibaldi. All modern light aircraft carriers are equipped with ski jump ramps.
Royal Navy's HMS Invincible is the first light aircraft carrier equipped with a ski jump ramp.
Light carrier Cavour of the Italian Navy
Juan Carlos I of the Spanish Navy