Bearer battle

A carrier battle is a sea ​​battle in which two or more opposing aircraft carriers are involved together with their accompanying units, which fight each other with their air forces, usually over great distances.

Main features

In principle, a porter battle is an aerial combat fought over the open sea , in which the aim is not primarily to eliminate the opposing sea forces, but rather to eliminate the opposing forces at sea: the loss of its own air power forces a fleet to retreat in order not to risk the To suspend destruction by the then unlimited operating enemy air power . Due to the large spatial distance between the enemy units, there is very seldom visual contact between the fleets. A direct intervention of the escort groups, which mostly consist of cruisers and destroyers , can hardly be observed. Their main task is to protect their own carriers from enemy air strikes.

history

So far, carrier battles have only been fought in the war between the USA and Japan during World War II . The battle of Midway , which took place in June 1942 and is considered to be the turning point of the war in the Pacific, occupies a prominent position .

Important battles were also:

• the battle in the coral sea
• the battle of the East Solomon Islands
• the battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
• the battle of the Philippine Sea
• the sea ​​and air battle in the Gulf of Leyte

In addition, the Falklands War between Great Britain and Argentina in 1982 was the only military conflict between two nations that maintained aircraft carriers. However, the Argentine carrier ARA Veinticinco de Mayo was withdrawn into port after the outbreak of hostilities on May 1, 1982 and the sinking of the cruiser General Belgrano by the nuclear submarine Conqueror the following day; from then on their planes operated from Rio Grande on Tierra del Fuego .