A light aircraft carrier , or light fleet 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 one-half to two-thirds the size of a full-sized fleet carrier.
A light carrier was similar in concept to an escort carrier in most respects, however light carriers were intended for higher speeds to be deployed alongside fleet carriers, while escort carriers usually defended convoys and provided air support during amphibious operations.
These 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.
These issues were superseded by Independence -class ships' virtue of being available at a time when available carrier decks had been reduced to Enterprise and Saratoga in the Pacific and Ranger in the Atlantic. In addition, unlike escort carriers, they had enough speed to take part in fleet actions with the larger carriers. Late in the war, a follow on to the Independence class, the Saipan class , was designed. Two vessels in this classβ Saipan and Wright βwere completed after the war's end.
After very brief lives as carriers, the Saipan s were converted to command and communication ships. The British design light fleet carrier , originally designated the Colossus class, was a scaled-down version of their Illustrious -class fleet carrier. The design could be built in a yard with little or no experience of warship construction. Although built to merchant standards, the design incorporated better watertight subdivision.
