This impressive, newly-updated encyclopedia is both a fascinating history of aircraft carrier development and a well-documented visual directory of more than 150 of the world's aviation ships spanning a period of almost 120 years. The book's coverage follows the definition of an aircraft carrier as "a ship whose primary function is to operate aircraft", and includes, at one end of the chronological scale, kite balloon ships and airships and, at the other, the many types of modern warships that carry aircraft such as variable-geometry jets, V/STOL aircraft and helicopters. Each directory entry includes a specification panel detailing country of origin, date of commissioning, displacement, dimensions, types of aircraft carried, armament, machinery and performance. All the carriers are accompanied by identification photographs, many of which have never previously been published together in one volume. Illustrated throughout, this book provides both enthusiasts and historians with key information about the world's aircraft carriers, and is an essential read for anyone interested in naval aviation. An illustrated history of over 150 vessels from Zeppelins and seaplane carriers to V/STOL and nuclear-powered warships, with more than 650 identification photographs. Examines the evolution of the aircraft carrier: the first flights from ships in World War I; developments during the inter-war years and World War II; and the carriers used in Suez, Vietnam, the Falklands, Syria and Iraq. Features the most important vessels in the world, from early ships such as the USS Langley, HMS Furious, the Japanese Navy Hosho and the Italian Navy Giuseppe Miraglia, to the modern carriers of today including USS Gerald R. Ford, HMS Prince of Wales, INS Vikrant, Spanish Navy Juan Carlos I and the PLA Navy Type 001 Liaoning. Specification boxes provide at-a-glance information about each carrier's country of origin, date of commissioning, displacement, dimensions, types of aircraft carried, armament, machinery and performance. Includes a glossary explaining key military terms and abbreviations.