Aircraft Carriers - Past, Present and Future

Historical Imaging on for the KMZ file, though there seems to be a lot of historical images being removed. The place marks will remain for now.

Red - Decommissioned or in Jack Speak, End Ex'ed. Including awaiting disposal, sale or donation holding.
Orange - Maintenance - Still in Commission (or in the case of the Royal Navy, temporarily decommissioned) including Refits, deep maintenance or PIA (American - Period Of Availability). Ships can either be berthed or in Dry/Floating Dock.
Green - Commissioned - Some times ships will be alongside and show that work is being carried out. This is minor maintenance, defect work or repainting flight decks and structures.


Light Blue - Ships in build - Some have been Commissioned but not yet accepted in to service. HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) and USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) are 2 examples.
Yellow - Museum Ships - Including preparation periods and artificial reefs.
Purple - Unknown - Either ship, place or time.


White - Everything else - Mostly land based points of interest and all aircraft carrier related. American Naval Air Station runway markings are not included as they are painted on every single runway and easily identified.


There are several countries that operate LHDs and LHPs that can operate STOVL fixed wing aircraft. Unless it is classified as a Light Aircraft Carrier, it will not be listed.

The ships affected are;

All USN LHD and LHR(R)'s - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasp-class_amphibious_assault_ship and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America-class_amphibious_assault_ship


Australian LPDs HMAS Canberra and HMAS Adelaide - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canberra-class_landing_helicopter_dock


The new Italian LPD, Trieste, that is in build - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_landing_helicopter_dock_Trieste


The new Turkish LPD/LPH, TCG Anadolu (L-400), that is in build. This will also apply to her sister ship Thrace. - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCG_Anadolu


2 x South Korean LPHs - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dokdo-class_amphibious_assault_ship

Brazil's Atlântico (Ex HMS Ocean), despite being designated as "NAM", for "multipurpose aircraft carrier" (Portuguese: Navio Aeródromo Multipropósito) to reflect its capability to operate with fixed-wing medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles as well as crewed tilt rotor VTOL aircraft. She currently does not operate manned fixed wing fighters, fighter/bombers et al- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_aircraft_carrier_Atlântico

Neither Japanese Hyuga Helicopter Destroyers will be added either, due to sole ability to operate only helicopters - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyūga-class_helicopter_destroyer



Despite the Japanese re-classifying their Izumo Helicopter Destroyers as Multi-purpose Operation Destroyer, they are essentially Aircraft Carriers under their classification restriction, and have been added to the KMZ File. Approval for the conversion process was approved by Parliament 18 December 2018.


Jan 2024

Finally there are images on the Weapons Test Ranges in the Ruoqiang Facility, China. I have been searching and searching and waiting and waiting. As always the KMZ has been updated.

P.S. And there I was saying that the chances of GE actually having a frame with a target on the rails was unlikely, and low and behold, they do.

It's a 158ft and at 38°33'30.92"N 87°48'47.79"E. KMZ has been updated.


Jun 2023

Lots of little updates to the KMZ file.


Sep 2022

A small change with large implications, The new Chinese Carrier is in the water and fitting out. Suspiciously named, but following Chinese naming protocols for an Area of China, that is near to Taiwan. Make of that what you will.

HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) has been caught in Liverpool, England. It would appear I have found her in more visits to none base ports than any other Carrier.

Another Carrier has moved on her final Journey, Ex USS Kitty Hawk (CV63) has left Bremerton for her one way journey to Brownsville Texas for recycling.


Jun 2022

Many new place marks and 2 new Aircraft Carriers. It's a shame that neither will go to sea. Both were built some time ago. One is a hotel in Chengdu, China and the other is a replica of HTMS Chakri Naruebet in Chumphon, Thailand.

There are a few more US Aircraft Carrier parts, Anchors and Propellers that have been found plus, in one Museum, 2 Stern Name Plates.

Mar 2022

I have finally pinned down the identity of the second Aircraft Carrier in Chatham in 1943.

INS Vikrant is nearing completion though in the real world she is at sea and well in to her trials.

Norfolk Naval Station, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Hampton Roads have updated.

This shows that PCU John F Kennedy is now in the water and fitting out (Pier 3), the Ex USS Enterprise (65) and USS John C Stennis (74) in dry docks, the Newest Carrier USS Gerald R Ford (78) at Pier 2 and the USS George Washington (73) at outfitting berth 1 completing her one and only RHOC.

As always the KMZ file is updated.


April 2015

A new starting point for a project that started as a bet when I was serving on HMS Invincible. That was easy and so began an internal battle to see if I could find more. Then came the original BBS Forum and a place to post my finds in 2007.


If I have, or will, hijack(ed) your finds then please forgive me, but credit will be given. I'm wanting to keep all the Aircraft Carriers in one place and as upto date as possible.


I originally started this post back in 2007, and all Operational Aircraft Carriers have been, at some point, visible on GE.


I have discovered in my research that not all dates are accurate and the images can be in the incorrect order, so naming might be slightly inaccurate, I can only apologies.


Ship's that don't move much, or frequent a particular berth, will need the time advancing using the "time slider advance button".


Please help me to fill in the blanks or correct mistakes.


Many thanks.


Neil





21 that are, or will be, seen no more:


HMS Argus (I49), Dismantled 1946.

Ex USS Chatham (CVE-32), HMS Slinger (D26). Following the war, she was returned to United States custody on 27 February 1946 and was sold/converted by Robin Line 21 November 1946 as Robin Mowbray. Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc., purchased Robin Line in 1958. She was scrapped in Kaohsiung Taiwan in 1969-1970.

HMS Invincible (R05), Dismantled, Turkey.

HMS Illustrious (R06), Dismantled, Turkey.

HMS Ark Royal (R07), Dismantled, Turkey.

Clemenceau (R98), Dismantled, UK

INS Vikrant (R11), Dismantled, India

INS Viraat (R22), Dismantled, Alang, India

NAeL Minas Gerais (A11), Ex HMS Vengeance. Dismantled, India.

PA Dédalo (R01), Ex USS Cabot (CVL 28/AVT 3) , Dismantled, USA.

PA Príncipe de Asturias (R11) - Dismantled, Turkey

USS Bennington (20), Dismantled.

USS Oriskany (34), Sunk 17th May 2006, artificial reef, Gulf of Mexico.

USS Coral Sea (43) , Dismantled.

USS Forrestal (CV59), Dismantled, USA.

USS Saratoga (CV60), Dismantled, USA.

USS Ranger (CV61), Dismantled, USA

USS Independence (CV62), Dismantled, USA.

USS Kitty Hawk (CV63), Dismantled, USA.

USS Constellation (CV64), Dismantled, USA.

USS America (66), Sunk 14 May 2005.


KMZ File Here.


P.S. I will update as and when I can.



Download count in the Old BBS Forum = 7682.
No idea of the count in Google Groups.

Yup, did a bit of research on the new carrier Queen Elizabeth, and that is certainly Lower Block 03 on the stocks in Rosyth.  I thought at first that the imagery date must be wrong, because the most obvious thing in Rosyth, apart from the Forth Bridge, should be Goliath, the giant new crane commissioned by Babcocks to build the Queens - and there was no sign of it!  It's the biggest of its kind in Europe, even bigger than Harland and Wolf's giant cranes in Belfast, so it should have stood out like a sore thumb.  

Then I noticed that there's a blasted imagery stitch running right through the dock in Rosyth, so the satellite's just missed it.  

Goliath arriving at Rosyth, all the way from Shanghai

...and in action, fitting a sponson to Lower Block 03

Got a mate, Mo, who's a welder for Babcocks in Rosyth and he's got quite a few yarns about getting all these bits of aircraft carrier - built in six shipyards the length and breadth of UK - to fit together!

Great post, BTW, and good to see you over here in the new GEC!

Cheers,

Frank

US Carriers frequent the Gulf region more of less on a permanent basis. So quite surprised to find the Charles De Gaulle as the first carrier to be caught here in Bahrain.

A quote from Wikipedia.....


"Sailing off the north coast of Bahrain, the carrier's 12 Rafale and 9 Super Étendard fighters could reach targets in half the time it takes French fighters based in the United Arab Emirates.[39] Charles de Gaulle left the Gulf in late-April 2015 after launching strike and surveillance missions against IS targets to participate in exercises with the Indian military; the carrier launched 10-15 sorties per day during its two-month deployment."

Attachments:

Feb 19 2015 - FS Charsles de Gaulle R91 - M....kmz (1.25 KB)

Hi all,

A cheeky bump to highlight some big updates to the KMZ file.

There are now four US carriers visible in Brownsville for recycling (The Ranger, Constellation, Saratoga and Forrestal). It's a sad but inevitable end for most ships these days.

Also updated is the USS Carl Vinson (70) anchored off Freemantle, Nimitz underway in Pugent Sound, Russia's Carrier in a floating dock and HMS Illustrious (now decommissioned) in Portsmouth, England.

Another retiree is the Principe de Asturias (R11) laid up in Ferrol, Spain.

On a brighter note, India's newest Carrier is back in the water.

The updated file is in the OP.

Regards

Neil

A third carrier under it's own power. This time INS Vikramaditya leaving Mumbai, India.

KMZ File updated here

Such a sad site in Brownsville, Texas. But things can't last for ever.



KMZ file on the first post has a few updates to the latest Positions and INS Vikramditya Anchored and Sailing in Mumbai Harbour.

hi neil!

think we have never changed a word since online, but now as at last I have taken the 'trouble' to check such a collection, I have to take my hats off!

sorry I can not add any related, only I thank you sharing this outstanding '4D presentation' on the subject!

it was such a great imagery search work even for you, who might know well, where to search!

-pardon: I said it was..  well; it was, it is and it will be! (:

best, and keep up the good work!

g

Aug 25, 2017 7:14:22 GMT syzygy said:

hi neil!

think we have never changed a word since online, but now as at last I have taken the 'trouble' to check such a collection, I have to take my hats off!

sorry I can not add any related, only I thank you sharing this outstanding '4D presentation' on the subject!

it was such a great imagery search work even for you, who might know well, where to search!

-pardon: I said it was..  well; it was, it is and it will be! (:

best, and keep up the good work!

g

Thank you for your kind words.

Just so everyone knows the KMZ file has been updated to include the New Chinese Carrier which is now out of dry dock.

There's also a few other updates but no images yet of HMS Queen Elizabeth or the Prince of Wales which is now being put together.

USS Gerald Ford is complete and as reported in the news has been Commissioned though she is not expected to do her first deployment until 2020.

Finally the Queen Elizabeth and Prince Of Wales are visible in Rosyth Scotland (Historical images off).

Also being built is the JFK and as yet unnamed Italian carrier just outside Naples.

KMZ file has been updated on the first post.

Another cheeky bump, just to prove this post is alive and well and constantly updated.

There have been a few changes since my last bump. 

Carriers have come and gone and the world keeps rotating.

The recent updates include;

2 x New Buildings (well new to the file), one in Thailand and another in China.

A small change with large implications, The new Chinese Carrier is in the water and fitting out. Suspiciously named, but following Chinese naming protocols, for an Area of China that happens to be near to Taiwan. Make of that what you will.

HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) has been caught in Liverpool, England. It would appear I have found her in more visits to none base ports than any other Carrier. At anchor off Dartmouth, at anchor in Halifax Nova Scotia and now berthed in Liverpool.

Some of the RIMPAC (2022) Ships are captured in Hawaii including USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and JS Izumi (183).

Another Carrier has moved on her final Journey, Ex USS Kitty Hawk (CV63) has left Bremerton for her one way journey to Brownsville Texas for recycling.

As always I will keep the file up to date and due to it's bludgeoning size is now stored in my Cloudinary with a link provided.

A cheeky bump because I'm so excited and I just can't hide it.

There has finally been an image up date in the Takmalakan Desert in China.

This means that the much speculated and reported Aircraft Carriers Targets are now, partially at least, visible.

I have also included the 6 meter wide Target Track system too. The chances of GE having an image of it in use with a target will be slim, and the chances of it being an aircraft carrier are really tiny.

But I for one find it a fascinating facility.

The main KMZ has been updated but I'll include just the targets here for reference.

KMZ File HERE


P.S. And there I was saying that the chances of GE actually having a frame with a target on the rails was unlikely, and low and behold they do.

It's a 158ft and at 38°33'30.92"N 87°48'47.79"E. KMZ has been updated.

Great spotting!

And what the hell is that "square of squares" cca. 5 miles to WNW at >>38.57221,87.72370<<?!  (2/2020 imagery date)

Jan 29, 2024 14:55:48 GMT syzygy said:

Great spotting!

And what the hell is that "square of squares" cca. 5 miles to WNW at >>38.57221,87.72370<<?!  (2/2020 imagery date)

Not sure, but there have been many strange patterns, towers, fake runways and many unknowns, in the area. I might do a KMZ on everything. They even have what looks like a fake AWACS on a runway somewhere out there (40.285N, 93.311E).

Hi Neil, I'm relatively new to the forum and I don't understand how I should download your kmz. Do I need to register in another way?
Anyway, thanks in advance.

Hello stefano,
The KMZ file can be uploaded in the first post, it will be saved in your download directory. Open it from there.