I think it must be the USS Enterprise. I don't know if any of the Japanese carriers were larger. The fact that the carriers were not in dock when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor was crucial to the outome of the pacific war.
This is all wrong. The USS Enterprise was definitely not the largest aircraft carrier during World War Two by any stretch of the imagination. It wasn't even the largest of the US aircraft carriers during the War. The Enterprise was a Yorktown-class carrier of about 20,000 tons. The earlier Saratoga and Lexington carriers, converted from World War One-vintage battlecruisers, came in at 36,000 tons, while the Essex class carriers built during the War were around 26,000 tons, all bigger than Enterprise. But none of these are the largest aircraft carrier during WWII. That would have to be the Japanese Shinano, converted from a Yamato-class battleship during construction. The Shinano came in at a whooping 64,800 tons, more than three times that of the Enterprise. The largest purpose-built aircraft carrier was probably the Japanese Taiho, that had an armored flight deck and so had a tonnage of 29,300.
Joe in Moraga
1. USS Langley (later redesignated)-sunk in near Battle of the Java Sea
2. USS Lexington-sunk Battle of the Coral Sea
3. USS Yorktown-sunk Battle of Midway
4. USS Hornet-sunk Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
5. USS Wasp-sunk Battle for Guadalcanal
6. USS Princeton-Sunk Battle of Philippine Sea
7. USS St. Lo-sunk Leyte Gulf
8. USS Gambier Bay-sunk Leyte Gulf
9. USS Bismarck Sea-sunk near Battle of Iwo Jima
Post WW2 warships: subs, carriers, cruisers, etc. are currently using a mixed bag of WW2 ship names; sometimes after US presidents, sometimes after states, sometimes after US cities. Sometimes US Navy guided missile cruisers were named differently than non-guided missile cruisers...when we had them both. WW2 warships were the most easily categorized, and remembered: 1. US Fleet Carriers (CV's) were named after Revolutionary War ships and battles, such as the USS Enterprise, USS Yorktown, USS Hornet, USS Wasp, USS Ranger, USS Saratoga, USS Lexington, and the USS Essex class carriers. 2. US Light Carriers (CVL's) were named after the same: USS Princeton, USS Independence, etc. 3. US Escort Carriers (CVE's) were named after US bays: USS Gambier Bay, USS St. Lo, USS Bismarck Sea, USS Liscome Bay, etc. USN Battleships were named after states; Cruisers were named after US cities; Destroyers were named after deceased US Sailors and Marines; and US subs were named after FISH.
Germany did not have any active aircraft carriers in WWII. 2 or 3 were planned or under construction but never completed. Britain, U.S. and Japan all had carriers during WWII. Japan had the most carriers when the war started. The U.S. had 6 fleet carriers, (Atlantic and Pacific)1 training carrier and I believe 2 or 3 carriers under construction when the war began. By the time the war ended the US had over 100 carriers, both fleet and escort carrires. 27 U.S. Carriers were at anchor in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrenerd on board the USS Missouri.
The two greatest carrier duels were at Midway and the Coral Sea. Those two were the first and classic decisive sea battles; and were strictly aircraft carrier battles. Afterwards, carriers participated in nearly all of the sea battles fought in the Pacific, from Guadalcanal to Leyte Gulf; but those naval engagements involved more than just carriers...battleships, cruisers, submarines, PT boats, destroyers, land based airplanes, etc.
There was more than one carrier so to answer this question a specific carrier is needed.
CV is a carrier. CVE is an escort carrier. CVL was a light carrier. No "R" in those names.
aiRcraft caRRier
Only there's no one on the aircraft carrier.
The USS Eisenhower carrier is the most strongest aircraft carrier in the World.
Carrier fighter vs carrier fighter. Aircraft carrier duels. Carrier planes (naval aircraft) have folding wings/or wing-tips for shipboard operations.
Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga was created on 1929-11-30.
Vikrant class aircraft carrier was created in 2015.
There is a flight deck on an aircraft carrier but, it is not an aircraft carrier as there are many other ships that have flight decks on them. The amphibious assault ship is a good example.
French aircraft carrier Béarn was created in 1927-05.
Soviet aircraft carrier Novorossiysk ended in 1993-06.
It wasn't an aircraft carrier, but a battleship. The battleship used was the USS Missouri.