A light aircraft carrier is an aircraft carrier that is smaller
than the standard carriers of a navy. The precise definition of the
type varies by country; light carriers typically have a complement
of aircraft only ½ to ⅔ the size of a full-sized or “fleet”
carrier.
In World War II, the United States Navy produced a number of
light carriers by converting cruiser hulls. The Independence-class
aircraft carriers, converted from Cleveland-class light cruisers,
were unsatisfactory ships for aviation with their narrow, short
decks and slender, high-sheer hulls; in virtually all respects the
escort carriers were superior aviation vessels.
In the post-war period, the British Royal Navy also operated a
force of light aircraft carriers, all of which were born out of
wartime designs. British-built light fleet carriers of the Colossus
and Majestic classes were also sold to Argentina, Australia,
Brazil, Canada, India and The Netherlands.
