A naval history of the development and use of aircraft carriers in military operations and in times of war. It has been more than a hundred years since a heavier-than-air craft first took off and landed on a warship, and from the very beginning flying at sea made unique demands on men and machines. As warplanes grew larger, faster and heavier, air operations from ships were only possible at all through constant development in technology, techniques and tactics. This book charts the progress and growing effectiveness of naval air power, concentrating on the advances and inventions—most of them British—that allowed shipborne aircraft to match their land-based counterparts, and looking at their contribution to 20th century warfare. Written by David Hobbs, a retired Fleet Air Arm pilot and an award-winning historian of naval flying, A Century of Carrier Aviation: The Evolution of Ships and Shipborne Aircraft is a masterly overview of the history of aviation in the world's navies down to the present day. Heavily illustrated from the author's comprehensive collection of photographs, the book will be essential reading to anyone with an interest in navies or air power.