The World's First Warship Dubbed A 'Super Carrier' Wasn't Made By The US
By Jonathan H. Kantor
Published on April 11, 2026.
The first "super carrier" was named after the HMS Ark Royal of the British Empire. The term was coined in the lead-up to World War II. The first aircraft carriers were not designed for combat, but for other purposes. The New York Times compared the Ark Royal to Germany's new cruise ship, the Wilhelm Gustloff, suggesting it could have been converted into an aircraft carrier.
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The World's First Warship Dubbed A 'Super Carrier' Wasn't Made By The US
The first "super carrier" was named after HMS Ark Royal, though it wasn't made by the US, and the term itself originated from the 1940s.