Warships International Fleet Review: U.S. “Harrier-Carriers” Could Face Cuts

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The NATO-led aerial armada that struck Libyan targets beginning March 20 was notable for what it lacked. Though some American naval jets flew from land bases, the air strikes on forces loyal to repressive Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi were not supported by a large-deck U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. All of the Navy’s 11 large flattops were on deployment to other conflict zones or in maintenance.

It was the first time in decades that the free world went to war without a Nimitz-class carrier or a similar ship.

But an American carrier was present. Sailing off the Libyan coast, the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge carried hundreds of battle-ready Marines of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit plus their vehicles, landing craft and helicopters — and pulled double duty as a light carrier.

Barely noticeable among the 200 allied warplanes were six U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers flying from Kearsarge‘s 844-feet-long, un-angled deck. The Harriers flew bombing raids on Libyan ground troops, tracked targets with their camera pods and, on March 22, escorted MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors deployed to rescue the crew of a U.S. Air Force F-15E that crashed in Libya following a mechanical failure."
War is Boring