Surviving Aircraft Carriers as Museums, Wrecks or Hulks

2000-2005

For World Aircraft Carriers List of Current Aircraft Carriers - See Haze Gray & Underway World Aircraft Carrier Lists And Photo Gallery From 1913 to 2000 (a list of all carriers in existence today)

Name	Other names	Date laid down	Preservation	Status	Details
HMS Ark Royal II Fleet Carrier (UK)	-	1935	Condition No known. Located 45nm ESE of Gibraltar.	Underwater WRECK	Torpedoed by U-81 and sank off Gibraltar 14 Nov 1941
HMS Audacity escort carrier (UK)	Ex MV Hannover (Germany), Ex Sinbad, Empire Audacity	1939	Condition Not known, but broke up after torpedoing then sank. Located in the North Atlantic, 350nm W of Cape Finisterre, Spain.	Underwater WRECK	Torpedoed and sunk off Portugal 21 Dec 1941 by U-751
HMS Avenger escort carrier (UK)	Ex Rio Hudson Ex USS BAVG-2	1940	Condition not known, but largely destroyed by explosion when sinking. Located in the North Atlantic, 45nm S of Cape Santa Maria, Portugal.	Underwater WRECK	Torpedoed and sunk by U-155 on 15 November 1942 west of Gibraltar
HMS Biter escort carrier (UK)	Ex Rio Parana and Ex USS BAVG-3 Became Dixmude (France)	1940	Condition not known	Underwater WRECK	Sunk as test target 1966 by USN
USS Cabot Light Fleet aircraft carrier (USA)	Dedalo (R01)](Spain) ex-Wilmington CL 79 - CV 28 - CVL 28 - AVT 3	1942	USS Cabot aircraft carrier museum project (USA)	Scrapping 2000	Decommissioned 5 Aug 1989 at New Orleans for preservation by Cabot/Dedalo Foundation, but preservation efforts failed and the ship was towed to Port Isabel, TX 18 October 1997 in preparation for scrapping at Brownsville, TX; moved to Brownsville for scrapping 9 August 1998. Preservation efforts are ongoing; see http://www.geocities.com/usscabot/ for more information.
HMS Courageous Fleet Carrier (UK)	-	1915	Condition not known. Located 150nm WSW of Mizen Head, Ireland.	UNDERWATER WRECK	Torpedoed and sunk by U-29 on 17 September 1939 in the Atlantic, West of Ireland
HMS Dasher HMS Dasher Memorial (UK)	Ex Rio de Janeiro. Ex BAVG-5 (USA)	1941	Condition not known, but damaged by explosion on sinking. Located in the Firth of Clyde, S of Little Cumbrae Island, Scotland. HMS Dasher Memorial/North Ayrshire Museum/Saltcoats, North Ayrshire (UK)	Underwater WRECK	Blew up and sank off Arran 27 March 1943
HMS Eagle I Fleet Carrier (UK)	ex Almirante Cochrane (Chile)	1913	Condition not known. Located in the Mediterranean Sea, 70nm S of Cape Salinas, Majorca (the Balearic Islands), Spain.	Underwater WRECK	Torpedoed and sunk by U-73 North of Algiers
USS Forrestal aircraft carrier (USA) - post war aircraft carrier.	CVB 59 - CVA 59 - CV 59 - AVT 59	1952	USS Forrestal aircraft carrier museum project (USA). See alternative website	Hulk - Newport, RI	Stricken 10 Sept 1993
HMS Glorious Fleet Carrier (UK)	-	1915	Condition not known. Located 170nm W of Harstad, Norway	Underwater WRECK	Sunk by German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau off Norway on 8 June 1940
HMS Hermes Fleet Carrier (UK)	-	1918	Condition not known. Located in the Indian Ocean off Batticaloa, Ceylon.	Underwater WRECK	Sunk by Japanse carriers Akagi, Hiryu and Soryu 9 April 1942 off Trincomolee
USS Hornet Fleet aircraft carrier USA)	ex-Kearsarge CV 12 - CVA 12 - CVS 12	1942	HMS Hornet Aircraft Carrier Museum (USA)	MUSEUM HULK	-
USS Intrepid Fleet aircraft carrier (USA)	CV 11 - CVA 11 - CVS 11	1941	INTREPID Sea-Air-Space Museum, New York (USA)	MUSEUM HULK	-
USS Lexington Fleet Aircraft Carrier (USA)	ex-Cabot CV 16 - CVA 16 - CVS 16 - CVT 16 - AVT 16	1941	USS Lexington Aircraft Carrier Museum (USA)	MUSEUM HULK	-
HMAS Melbourne Fleet Aircraft Carrier (Australia)	HMS Majestic		flight deck - in 2000 flight deck reported still extant in China	REMAINS	flight deck - in 2000 flight deck reported still extant in China
USS Midway Fleet Aircraft Carrier (USA)	CV 41 - CVB 41 - CVA 41 - CV 41	1943	San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum (USA)	MUSEUM HULK	-
Minas Gerais light strike/ASW aircraft carrier (Brazil)	ex-HMAS Vengeance, ex-HMS Vengeance	1942		Being scrapped 2004-5	Sold to Brazil 12 Dec 1956; refitted at Rotterdam till 1960, recommissioned 6 December 1960 as Minas Gerais. Refitted 1976-1980 but laid up 1987 due to catapult problems. Refitted 1991-1993, recommissioned 1993; catapult repaired by 1996. During the 1990's operated ASW helicopters, and in the 200's A-4s had since been acquired. British Preservation group tried to rescue carrier but lack of support from UK Government or FAA/RN museums. Ship being scrapped 2004-5.
USS Oriskany Fleet aircraft carrier (USA)	CV 34 - CVA 34 - CV 34	1944	USS Oriskany aircraft carrier Museum (USA)	MUSEUM	-
USS Ranger aircraft carrier - post war aircraft carrier (USA)	CVA 61 - CV 61	1954	USS Ranger Museum - post war aircraft carrier (USA)	MUSEUM	-
USS Saratoga (USA)	CVB 60 - CVA 60 - CV 60	1952	USS Saratoga museum project (USA)	HULK Newport, RI	-
USS Saratoga (USA)	CC 3 - CV 3	1920	See website - US National Parks Service Submerged Cultural Resources of Operation Crossroads in Bikini and Kwajalein Atolls	Underwater WRECK	-
Veinticinco De Mayo (Argentina)	ex-HMS Venerable/Ex Karel Doorman	1942	Extant Alang beach, India 2000	Still extant 2001? - Hulk reported beached at Alang for scrapping Alang (India) in March 2000 Towed for scrapping 1999.	Sold to the Netherlands 1 April 1948; recommissioned 28 May 1948 as Karel Doorman. Was in poor condition by the early 1980's, inoperable after 1985. Laid up for possible modernization until 1997. Towed away for scrapping at Alang, India, January 1999, and beached on March 2000. Not known if any of the hulk remains.
INS Vikrant light fleet aircraft carrier (India)	ex-HMS Hercules	1943	INS Vikrant/HMS Hercules aircraft carrier campaign See also "Save the Vikrant" website (India)	Effectively out of service by the early 1990's due to poor condition. Formally decommissioned 31 January 1997. To be preserved as a museum at Mumbai.	The ship was effectively out of service by the early 1990's due to her poor condition, but was not formally decommissioned until 1997.
INS Viraat VSTOL/Light Fleet Carrier (India)	ex-HMS Hermes (light carrier) ex-Elephant	1944		Currently out of service for a major overhaul.	Sold to India 19 April 1986, refitted prior to transfer, commissioned 12 May 1987 as INS Viraat, formally recommissioned in India 15 Feb 1989. Major refit at Cochin started 1999, planned completion circa 2001.The ship is in reasonably good condition, but will require replacement by 2007-2010.
USS Yorktown aircraft carrier (USA)	ex-Bon Homme Richard CV 10 - CVA 10 - CVS 10	1941	Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum (USA)	MUSEUM HULK	-

Created: 3-3-2001, Last modified 5-6-2005

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