List of aircraft carriers by country

Countries currently operating carriers in blue; historic operators of carriers in light blue

The list of aircraft carriers by country includes all aircraft carriers organized by country of origin and service. Where appropriate, a single ship may be listed under multiple countries. For the list of seaplane carriers and tenders see List of seaplane carriers by country.

Numbers of aircraft carriers by country

The table below does not include, aircraft carrying submarines, seaplane tenders, escort carriers or merchant aircraft carriers

Number of aircraft carriers by operating nation

Country	Total†	In service	In reserve	Decommissioned	Under construction	Never completed
United States	67	11	1	55	2	12
United Kingdom	40	1	0	40	2	12
Japan	20	0	0	20	0	4
France	8	1	0	7	0	7
Russia	7	1	0	6	0	2
Spain	3	2	0	1	0	1
Australia	3	0	0	3	0	0
Canada	3	0	0	3	0	0
Italy	2	2	0	0	0	2
India	2	1	0	1	3	0
Brazil	2	1	0	1	0	0
Argentina	2	0	0	2	0	0
Thailand	1	1	0	0	0	0
Netherlands	1	0	0	1	0	0
China	0	0	0	0	1	0
Germany	0	0	0	0	0	5

^{† Includes only carriers that have been commissioned into service}

Argentina

Retired:

• Light carriers:
  • ARA Independencia (V-1): Colossus class light carrier in service from 1959 to 1969; scrapped 1971
  • ARA Veinticinco de Mayo (V-2): Colossus class light carrier in service from 1969 to 1999; scrapped 1999

Australia

Retired:

• Light Fleet carriers:
  • HMAS Sydney: Majestic class carrier in service from 1948 to 1958. Later recommissioned as troop transport
  • HMAS Melbourne: Majestic class carrier in service from 1955 to 1982
  • HMAS Vengeance: Colossus class light carrier on loan from Royal Navy from 1952 to 1955

Brazil

Active:

• Fleet carrier:
  • São Paulo (A12): Clemenceau class carrier in service since 2000

Retired:

• Light carrier:
  • Minas Gerais: Colossus class carrier in service from 1960 to 2001

Canada

Retired:

• Light carriers:
  • HMCS Warrior: Colossus class light carrier in service from 1946 to 1948; return to Royal Navy and sold to Argentine Navy as ARA Independencia (V-1); carrier in service from 1959 to 1969; scrapped 1971
  • HMCS Magnificent: Majestic class carrier in service from 1946 to 1956; return to Royal Navy and stricken; scrapped in Scotland in 1965
  • HMCS Bonaventure: Majestic class carrier in service from 1957 to 1970; ordered by Royal Navy, but sold as HMS Powerful and delivered to Royal Canadian Navy; retired by the Canadian Armed Forces and broken up in Taiwan 1971

China

Under refit:

• Varyag: ex-Soviet Navy carrier sold to China by Ukraine being refitted in Dalian. Undergoing sea trials as of August 10, 2011.

Under construction:

• Future Chinese aircraft carrier

France

Active:

• Charles de Gaulle : aircraft carrier in service since 2001

Retired:

• La Foudre : converted into the world's first seaplane carrier in service from 1895 to 1921
• Commandant Teste : seaplane carrier in service from 1932 to 1950
• Béarn : converted Normandie class battleship in service from 1927 to 1948
• Dixmude : Avenger class escort carrier, ex-HMS Biter (D97), in service from 1945 to 1951
• Arromanches : Colossus class light aircraft carrier in service from 1946 to 1974
• Independence class
  • La Fayette : light aircraft carrier in service from 1951 to 1963
  • Bois Belleau : light aircraft carrier in service from 1953 to 1960
• Clemenceau class
  • Clemenceau : aircraft carrier in service from 1961 to 1997
  • Foch : aircraft carrier in service from 1963 to 2000

Never completed:

• Engageante : Friponne class sloop planned for conversion but not completed
• Conquerante : Valliante class sloop planned for conversion but not completed
• Joffre class
  • Joffre : carrier construction cancelled in 1940
  • Painleve : carrier plan cancelled in 1940
• Verdun : attack carrier development cancelled in 1961
• PH 75: projected two nuclear powered helicopter carrier program during the 1970s
  • Bretagne: STOVL aircraft carrier
  • Provence: STOVL aircraft carrier
• PA 2
  • Georges Pompidou : (tentative name) modified version of UK CVF design.
  • Richelieu : modified version of Thales UK/BMT design for the future British Queen Elizabeth class (formerly CVF).

Germany

Main article: List of German aircraft carriers

Never completed:

• German aircraft carrier I - planned conversion of passenger ship from German shipyard to aircraft carrier. Cancelled in 1918.
• Graf Zeppelin: Graf Zeppelin class carrier. Construction work stopped in 1943.
• Flugzeugträger B: Graf Zeppelin class carrier cancelled partly constructed in 1939.
• Seydlitz: conversion of part-built Admiral Hipper class cruiser. Work stopped in 1943 and not resumed.
• Aircraft carrier I: conversion of the transport ship Europa cancelled at design stage due to insurmountable problems.

The two planned Italian carriers Aquila and Sparviero were seized by the Germans after the Italian Armistice but not completed.

India

Active:

• Aircraft carriers:
  • Viraat: Centaur class carrier in service since 1987

Under refit:

• Aircraft carriers:
  • Vikramaditya: Modified Kiev class carrier planned to enter service in 2012

Under construction:

• Vikrant class aircraft carrier (Indigenous Aircraft Carrier): 40,000 ton aircraft carrier. It is being built at Cochin Shipyard, southern India, and is expected to enter service in 2012.
• INS Vishal: 65,000 ton aircraft carrier(Cochin Shipyard).Planned to be placed under vikrant class aircraft carrier

Retired:

• Aircraft carriers:
  • Vikrant: Majestic class carrier (ex-HMS Hercules) in service from 1961 to 1997 and currently a museum ship docked at Mumbai

Italy

Active:

• Giuseppe Garibaldi (551) (1983) - Current fleet flagship.
• Cavour (550) - Currently undergoing trials, will be new fleet flagship.

Never completed:

• Sparviero (1927) (converted liner Augustus, not completed as carrier) - Sunk 5 October 1944
• Aquila (1926) (converted liner Roma) - BU 1951-1952

Japan

Retired:

• Hōshō (1921) - decommissioned 1946
• Kaiyo (1943) - decommissioned 1945 and scrapped 1946

Sunk:

• Kaga (1921) - sunk, Battle of Midway, June 1942
• Akagi (1925) - sunk, Battle of Midway, June 1942
• Ryūjō (1931) - sunk, Battle of the Eastern Solomons, August 1942
• Ryūhō (1933) - damaged at Kure by U.S. air raid March 1945 and scrapped postwar
• Sōryū class
  • Sōryū (1935) - sunk, Battle of Midway, June 1942
  • Hiryū (1937) - sunk, Battle of Midway, June 1942
• Zuihō class
  • Shōhō (1935) - sunk, Battle of the Coral Sea, May 1942
  • Zuihō (1936) - sunk, Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 1944
• Chitose class
  • Chitose (1936) - seaplane tender from 1934 to 1942, rebuilt as light carrier and sunk at Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944
  • Chiyoda (1937) - sunk at Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 1944
• Shokaku class
  • Shōkaku (1939) - sunk, Battle of Philippine Sea, June 1944
  • Zuikaku (1939) - sunk, Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 1944
• Hiyō class
  • Junyō (1939) - damaged during Battle of Philippine Sea, June 1944. Never repaired; scrapped postwar.
  • Hiyō (1939) - sunk, Battle of Philippine Sea, June 1944
• Taihō (1943) - sunk, Battle of Philippine Sea, June 1944
• Unryū class
  • Amagi (1943) - used as anti-aircraft platform and sunk in July 1945
  • Unryū (1943) - sunk by U.S. submarine Redfish, December 1944
  • Katsuragi (1944) - used as transport to repatriate Japanese troops postwar and then scrapped
• Shinano (1944) - sunk by U.S. submarine Archerfish, November 1944
• Mizuho (1939) - sunk by U.S. submarine USS Drum (SS-228), 1 May 1942.

Only Hōshō, Junyō, Katsuragi and Ryuho survived the war and these were scrapped by 1948.

Never completed:

• Unryū class
  • Aso 4th unit of Unryū class (not completed)
  • Ikoma 5th unit of Unryū class (not completed)
  • Kasagi 6th unit of Unryū class (not completed)

• Ibuki Heavy cruiser conversion; scrapped postwar

Netherlands

Retired:

• Hr.Ms. Karel Doorman (ex-British HMS Venerable, purchased 1948) - Sold to Argentina 1968 and renamed Veinticinco de Mayo, BU

Russia

• See list of aircraft carriers of Russia and the Soviet Union

Active:

• Admiral Kuznetsov (1985)

Retired:

• Kiev class
  • Kiev (1972–1993)
  • Minsk (1975–1993)
  • Novorossiysk (1978–1993)
  • Admiral Gorshkov (1982–1995)

Never completed:

• Admiral Kuznetsov class
  • Varyag (Not commissioned)
• Ulyanovsk class
  • Ulyanovsk (Not commissioned)

Spain

Active:

• Principe de Asturias: 17,000 ton STOVL carrier in active service, commissioned 30 May 1982.
• Juan Carlos I:27,079 tonnes STOVL carrier in active service, commissioned 30 September 2010.

Retired:

• Dédalo - 11,700 ton Independence class light carrier, ex-USS Cabot, helicopters only from 1967–1976, struck 1989 and returned to United States, eventually scrapped in 2002.

Never completed:

• Spanish conversion for refloated italian heavy cruiser cruiser Trieste, cancelled in 1951.

Thailand

Active:

• Chakri Naruebet (1996)* Commissioned in 1997 but by 1999, only one used AV-8S Matador/Harrier was still operable due to lack of spare parts and age.

United Kingdom

Main article: List of aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy

Under construction:

• Queen Elizabeth class - supercarrier, CATOBAR ships of 65,000-75,000 tonnes
  • HMS Queen Elizabeth (2019)
  • HMS Prince of Wales (2023)

Modified:

• Invincible class
  • Illustrious (1982) (No fixed wing capability, as it has been converted to helicopter-only operation. To be decommissioned in 2014.)

Sunk:

• Hermes (1898) seaplane carrier from 1914, sunk by U-27 31 October 1914
• Glorious class
  • Glorious (1916), sunk by Scharnhorst and Gneisenau 8 June 1940
  • Courageous (1916), sunk by U-29 17 September 1939
• Eagle (1918), Sunk by U-73 11 August 1942
• Hermes (1923) - first purpose-designed aircraft carrier, sunk by Japanese aircraft 9 April 1942
• Ark Royal (1938), sunk 14 November 1941 after being torpedoed by U-81 on 13 November 1941

Retired:

• Argus (1916)
• Furious (1916)
• Vindictive (1918) - converted to aircraft carrying cruiser 1925
• Unicorn fleet maintenance carrier (1943)
• Illustrious class
  • Illustrious (1939)
  • Formidable (1939)
  • Victorious (1939)
• Indomitable (1940)
• Implacable class
  • Implacable (1942)
  • Indefatigable (1942)
• Audacious class
  • Eagle (ex-Audacious) (1946)
  • Ark Royal (ex-Irresistible) (1950)
• Colossus class
  • Colossus (1943), to France 1946 as Arromanches
  • Glory (1943)
  • Ocean (1944)
  • Theseus (1944)
  • Triumph (1944)
  • Venerable (1944) - to Netherlands 1948 as Karel Doorman, to Argentina 1968 as Veinticinco de Mayo
  • Vengeance (1944) - to Brazil 1956 as renamed Minas Gerais
  • Warrior (1944) - to Canada 1946-1948, to Argentina 1958 as Independencia
  • Perseus (1944)
  • Pioneer (1944)
• Majestic class
  • Majestic (1945) - to Australia 1955 as Melbourne
  • Hercules (1945) - to India 1957 as Vikrant
  • Magnificent (1944) - sold to Canada as HMCS Magnificent
  • Powerful (1945) - to Canada 1952 as Bonaventure
  • Terrible (1944) - to Australia in 1948 as Sydney
• Centaur class
  • Centaur (1947)
  • Albion (1947)
  • Bulwark (1948)
  • Hermes (ex-Elephant) (1953), to India 1986 as Viraat
• Invincible class
  • HMS Invincible (1977)
  • HMS Ark Royal (1985)

Never completed:

• Audacious class
  • Eagle - cancelled
  • Africa - to Malta class then cancelled

• Majestic class
  • Leviathan (1945) - was never completed

• Centaur class
  • Hermes - cancelled
  • Arrogant - cancelled
  • Monmouth - cancelled
  • Polyphemus - cancelled
• Malta class - cancelled 1946
  • Malta
  • New Zealand
  • Gibraltar
  • Africa
• CVA-01 - cancelled 1966
  • Queen Elizabeth
  • Duke of Edinburgh

United States

• See list of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy
• See list of aircraft carrier classes of the United States Navy
• See list of escort aircraft carriers of the United States Navy

See also

• List of aircraft carriers
• List of aircraft carriers in service
• Timeline for aircraft carrier service
• List of aircraft carriers by configuration
• List of sunken aircraft carriers

References

• "World Aircraft Carrier Lists". Haze Gray & Underway. http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/. 
• Warrilow, Betty. Nabob, the first Canadian-manned aircraft carrier Owen Sound, Ont. : Escort Carriers Association, 1989.
• Chesneau, Roger. Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present. An Illustrated Encyclopedia Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-902-2