that the United States had reached a point “where aircraft must form a large part of our naval forces for offensive and defensive operations” (Grossnick, 1).Although the pioneers of 1898-1916 brought to reality Naval Aviation, it was much too small and poorly equipped to wage war. In April 1917, the call for war came. However, the navy only had 48 aviators and students available with 54 aircraft that were not designed for the work that World War I required.However, in the next 19 months, during the time period when World War I was declared and ended, Naval Aviation expansion was astonishing. New air stations opened, training programs began at the new Naval Air Stations, colleges and universities, and with the private industry. Many types of aircraft were produced and an aircraft engine was advanced from a trial product to mass production and operation.The flying boat, in 1919, was the first aircraft to fly the Atlantic Ocean. This aircraft was Naval Aviation’s outstanding technical product of World War I. Many aviators were impressed with the flying boat and urged that it would be the means to take airpower to sea. However, other officers believed and insisted that aircraft should fly from combatant ships at sea.During the 1920s, development grew in both the flying boat and the proposed aircraft carrier. Finally, the aircraft carrier won many hearts of naval officers and the Navy decided to convert a collier to a carrier. This conversion would be the beginning of a movement that would gain the attention of ship builders, aircraft designers, and naval tacticians for the years ahead (Grossnick, 23).In the 1920s, Naval Aviation increased both in size and in strength. In this decade of growth, air detachments proved themselves effective under the conditions at sea. Three aircraft carriers were in full operation and patrol squadrons carried out their scouting missions. Each year aircraft flew faster, higher, and...
