Aircraft ferrying as Pacific logistics

Escort carriers began as logistics tools before convoy and support operations made them famous. Aircraft had to reach Pacific carriers and island bases without depending on cranes or risking large numbers of long-distance ferry flights. A flight deck let naval aircraft fly on and off, and the same ship could carry crated land-based aircraft when unloading facilities existed. P-38 Lightnings and P-47 Thunderbolts illustrate how one hull could move Army aircraft as cargo. The small carrier moved air power and its support burden across an ocean while leaving larger carriers for front-line work. Aircraft, fitters, spares, and machinery all had to arrive for the air campaign to function.