The aircraft carrier story 1908-1945

"Aircraft carriers came of age in the Second World War [?] Operating from their mobile bases, able to fly in all but the worst weather, no longer limited in their potential range from land, carrier aircraft could attack and defend with a freedom that changed the conduct of war at sea for ever. [...] this detailed history tells of the early days in the First World War, when seaplanes had to be lowered from the ship to take off from the sea and winched aboard again on their return. [...] The author examines Royal Navy, American and Japanese progress in carrier development and strategy through the interwar years, showing how naval powers gradually shifted their thinking to favour the carrier. Together with sharply reported accounts of wartime engagements, concentrating on US carrier deployment, this book offers a valuable account of the most significant weapons platform to have emerged in the mid-twentieth century."--Provided by the publisher.