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The U.S. navy’s first aircraft carrier began life as the collier U.S.S. Jupiter, built at Mare Island Navy Yard and commissioned in 1913. Jupiter was the first ship to have turbo-electric drive, a system later adapted for some battleships and other aircraft carriers. In April 1914, Jupiter brought Marines to Mazatlan, Mexico during the Vera Cruz crisis and then became the first ship to transit the Panama Canal from west to east en route to the Atlantic Fleet at Norfolk, Virginia. Jupiter made cargo and coaling runs to Europe during the First World War and helped bring troops home at the end of the war. In Norfolk in 1919, Jupiter was decommissioned for conversion to an aircraft carrier.
Jupiter was re-named U.S.S. Langley and given the designation CV-1 in April of 1920, re-commissioning on March 20, 1922. Her conversion consisted of building a 523' x 65' flight deck over her existing superstructure, converting bunkers into storage for aircraft and various shops and adding an aircraft elevator, catapult and handling equipment. On October 22, 1922, Lt. Virgil Griffin piloted a V-E-7-SF biplane off Langley’s deck, the first launch of what would become the primary navy weapon of the future. As the navy’s only carrier, Langley was constantly involved in flying operations to test out the abilities of an aircraft carrier to serve as a naval weapon. It was apparent early on that her low speed was a considerable detriment in fleet operations. She could not even keep up with the battleships, severely limiting her utility. However, she did provide an excellent school in training pilots and in learning shipboard handling of aircraft.
In June of 1923, Langley was in Washington, D.C. to give a flight demonstration before civil and military dignitaries. Following more tests and flight exercises over the next year, Langley was transferred to the Pacific Fleet. Langley continued in training fleet units, experimentation, tactical fleet problems and pilot training over the next 12 years, although her major role had long since been supplanted by the big and fast new carriers Lexington and Saratoga. In October of 1936, Langley returned to Mare Island for conversion into a seaplane tender, with the forward part of her flight deck removed. She was re-designated AV-3. After post-conversion shakedown, Langley was sent to Cavite in the Philippines in 1939, where she was anchored when World War II started.
Escaping the Japanese onslaught on Cavite, Langley operated from Darwin, Australia until February 1942, when she was assigned to deliver 32 P-40 fighters to Tjilatjap, escorted by a pair of destroyers. En route she was attacked by twin-engined Japanese land-based bombers. Langley was hit by five bombs in the third attack, killing 16 men, starting severe fires and disabling her steering gear. With her steering damaged and listing to port over 10 degrees, she was unmaneuverable and was abandoned and then scuttled by her escorts, sinking about 75 miles south of Tjilatjap. (DBoyer 2007)
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