Why, and how effectively, did the Royal Navy procure, and then use, escort carriers in the Second World War?

Student thesis: Doctoral ThesisDoctor of Philosophy

Abstract

This thesis assesses the Royal Navy’s procurement and use of escort carriers in the Second World War. Using primary and secondary sources, the subject is explored in an integrated way, examining its roots in the prewar period and in the context of developing naval and national strategy and resources. This is in contrast to previous work, where procurement and use have largely been studied separately, either from an operational perspective in particular campaigns or as peripheral subjects, as a result of which the role of the escort carrier has often been marginalised.

The thesis identifies complex reasons for the delays in procuring escort carriers, including limited resources and new, evolving, and competing threats. It suggests the Royal Navy had a better understanding of the aircraft’s potential against a range of threats than is sometimes argued, and that rebuilding and protecting the fleet, with its multiple roles, needed prioritising. Nevertheless, as the thesis shows, after their delayed procurement escort carriers were deployed successfully in many theatres and in many roles, from meeting the urgent need for trade protection to assisting amphibious landings by Allied armies and air strikes on enemy assets, both on land and at sea, thereby releasing fleet carriers for other important tasks. In the final stages of the war, even the British Pacific Fleet with its modern fleet carriers became dependent on the escort carrier for logistical support, thus enabling a major national strategic priority for the Royal Navy to work alongside the USN in the Pacific in a new type of naval warfare.
Date of Award1 Jun 2024
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • King's College London
SupervisorTim Benbow (Supervisor) & Jon Robb-Webb (Supervisor)

Cite this

'