1. fighters
2. bombers
3. balloons

The very first aircraft carriers were nothing like today's behemoths. They were wooden ships that sent hot air balloons into the heavens.

1. strafing
2. bombing
3. scouting

For many obvious reasons, hot air balloons do not make for great offensive weapons. However, the first carriers sent these balloons aloft in scouting missions, all the better to spy on enemies.

1. Ghana
2. Canada
3. Britain

Mighty Britain, with its history of naval power, was the first to build a flat-deck carrier. The HMS Argus, which was a converted merchant ship, served during both World Wars.

1. They lacked aircraft elevators.
2. They had no good plane fueling systems.
3. Planes couldn't land on the carriers.

Sure, launching planes is a great advantage in wartime. But just prior to WWI, no ships actually had landing decks … so those planes had nowhere to go after their missions.

1. to project air power
2. to terrify the soldiers of smaller countries
3. to preseve land that would otherwise be bulldozed for airstrips

Aircraft carriers are incredible tools for expanding a military's air power range. The ships can send fighters aloft almost anywhere in the world.

1. Turkey
2. Japan
3. USSR

In 1922, Japan designed and built the first ship intended solely as an aircraft carrier. The Hosho was a pioneering ship that inspired a new direction in warships.

1. Battle of Yorktown
2. Battle of the Bulge
3. Battle of Midway

The 1942 Battle of Midway was revenge for U.S. forces that suffered at Pearl Harbor. The world's first carrier, the Hosho, was there but only in a secondary role. She survived the entire war.

1. They say a quiet prayer.
2. They turn into the wind.
3. They dump their ballast tanks.

Carriers always turn into the wind before launching planes. Doing so ensures maximum airspeed for planes using very short runways … and with a slim margin for error.

1. It was made by Britain.
2. It destroyed the USSR.
3. It's the longest ship of all time.

The USS Enterprise is a ridiculously huge carrier, the longest ship ever built. Now out of service, she measures 1,123 feet long.

1. piles of coal for fuel
2. control centers
3. the brig

The tall fixture on a carrier's deck is called the superstructure. It's where the ship's control centers are housed, guiding navigation, weapons systems and much more.

1. the pigeon place
2. the "homestead"
3. the "island"

It's called "the island." The island is where all of the ship's control centers are placed. And as such, enemy planes often target the island.

1. Russia
2. America
3. China

In 1910, American Eugene Ely became the first pilot ever to land on and take off from the same ship. But it wasn't a carrier -- it was the battleship Pennsylvania.

1. American Civil War
2. World War I
3. World War II

World War II was a carrier war. In the Pacific Theater, especially, these enormous ships played an outsize role in history-altering battles.

1. Brazil
2. Germany
3. Japan

On December 7, 1941, Japan left no doubt as to the power of its carriers. Fighters and bombers from its ships devastated Pearl Harbor and smashed much of the U.S. fleet.

1. The Germans torpedoed her.
2. The war ended too soon.
3. She didn't work properly.

Britain began restructuring the HMS Argus to become a true carrier during the Great War. But the conflict ended before she could see battle.

1. They were too heavy.
2. They randomly exploded.
3. They were impossible to land on deck.

After WWII, jets became more common. But they were often too heavy for such short flight decks, meaning engineers needed new innovations.

1. steam catapults
2. afterburners
3. high-speed fans

British engineers created steam catapults to launch jets from carriers. Release bars secure the plane to the flight deck until steam pressure escalates … and then, the plane whisks off, flying above the waves.

1. a damaged portion of a ship
2. a recreation area of the carrier
3. a flight deck with a ramp

Some carriers literally have a gently curved ramp to better facilitate jet takeoffs. These ramps are called "ski jumps."

1. bombers
2. balloons
3. jets

Angled flight decks slant away from the ship's centerline and create a slightly longer flight deck. This was a vital innovation for heavy jets, which need more space for landing.

1. "The Grey Ghost"
2. "The Little E"
3. "Commie Crusher"

Repeatedly, the Japanese though they'd sunk the USS Enterprise during WWII. But she kept showing up again, earning her the nickname of "The Grey Ghost."

1. Anti-Soviet warfare
2. Anti-seal warfare
3. Anti-submarine warfare

Jets aren't the only aircraft toted by these huge ships. They also carry helicopters, which are particularly useful in ASW -- anti-submarine warfare.

1. She was sunk by Germany.
2. A fighter crash-landed and destroyed her.
3. She was decommissioned.

The first carrier, the HMS Argus, was a survivor. She made it through both wars, withstood a bomb hit, and was then scrapped in 1946.

1. "Wormhole"
2. "Suicide Lighthouse"
3. "Meatball"

Many carriers use optical lighting systems to help pilots find the right angle for landing. The "meatball's" color changes as pilots change their approach.

1. 0
2. 5
3. 18

Germany deployed a whole lot of U-boats in WWII. But the country didn't have a single aircraft carrier in its quest to dominate the world.

1. about 1 in 3
2. about 35 in 10,000
3. about 1 in 1 million

In the post-WWII era, U.S. pilots were fairly proficient at landings … but it was still a dangerous process, with an accident rate of 35 per 10,000 landings. Improved landing aids made the risks much lower.

1. steam power
2. solar power
3. nuclear power

The USS Enterprise, built in 1958, was the world's first nuclear-powered carrier. She served for more than half a century, longer than any other American carrier.

1. She could only carry one plane.
2. She didn't have enough guns.
3. She was too top heavy.

The HMS Argus had to be converted to a flat-deck layout. In doing so, she became dangerously top heavy and unstable at certain speeds, a fact that British engineers fought to correct.

1. to attack Japan
2. amphibious assault
3. to dump helicopters into the Mariana Trench

Helicopter carriers obviously carry helicopters. They're specifically built for the rigors of short-range amphibious attacks.

1. "Conqueror of Worlds"
2. "Phoenix in Flight"
3. "America Annihilator"

The Hosho was the first true carrier, built in 1922. In English, its name means, "Phoenix in Flight."

1. 15
2. 25
3. 40
4. 112

The Hosho only carried about 15 aircraft while underway. This is far from the vast complement of fighters and other winged instruments of death stowed on modern carriers.