Flattops: The History of the Aircraft Carrier by Mark Carlson

The first naval aviators flew dirigibles and float-planes. Their role was little more than as scouts for the mighty battleships of the traditional U. S. Navy. In 1922 an old collier named the Jupiter went into dry dock and emerged to change the face of naval power. As the new carrier, USS Langley was the training ground for the first generation of naval aviators, the men who would one day bring the might of a new United States Navy to Japan’s very shores. This is the story of the most influential and decisive arm of the Navy and how it evolved from total obscurity to change war at sea forever.
Presenter: Mark Carlson