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USS Langley
History[]
The first aircraft carrier that served in the Navy. It was rebuilt from the collier Jupiter in the early ’20s, and served as a platform where naval designers tested new technological innovations for the next-generation aircraft carriers. Because of that particular origin, it couldn't boast a good cruising speed. Also, at construction time, dive-bombers were not yet adopted for fleet, so the Langley Air Group was limited to fighter planes. It didn't have the distinctive island (As the actual bridge was located beneath the flight deck, nor did it have the armament we see on most carriers. Battleships were still valued over the new Carriers, so the first generations of carriers weren't that much until the 1930s. Like the Iowa, it experienced multiple removal and returning of service in the navy. In 1937, it was reclassified as a Floatplane tender and went through a modification. She had her flight deck halved (Thus, exposing her bridge) and had her planes replaced with floatplanes. She then served with her British allies until 1942, when she was scuttled after repeated bomb attacks.