On This Date In History

On February 27, 1942, the U.S. Navy’s first aircraft carrier, the USS Langley (AV-3), is sunk by Japanese warplanes and all of its 32 aircraft are lost.
The Langley was launched in 1912 as the naval collier (coal transport ship) Jupiter. After World War I, the Jupiter was converted into the Navy’s first aircraft carrier and rechristened the Langley, after aviation pioneer Samuel Pierpont Langley. It was also the Navy’s first electrically propelled ship, capable of speeds of 15 knots. On October 17, 1922, Lt. Virgil C. Griffin piloted the first plane, a VE-7-SF, launched from the Langley's decks. Although planes had taken off from ships before, it was nevertheless a historic moment. After 1937, the Langley lost the forward 40 percent of her flight deck as part of a conversion to seaplane tender, a mobile base for squadrons of patrol bombers.
On December 8, 1941, the Langley was part of the Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked. She immediately set sail for Australia, arriving on New Year’s Day, 1942. On February 22, commanded by Robert P. McConnell, the Langley, carrying 32 Warhawk fighters, left as part of a convoy to aid the Allies in their battle against the Japanese in the Dutch East Indies.
On February 27, the Langley parted company from the convoy and headed straight for the port at Tjilatjap, Java. About 74 miles south of Java, the carrier met up with two U.S. escort destroyers when nine Japanese twin-engine bombers attacked. Although the Langley had requested a fighter escort from Java for cover, none could be spared. The first two Japanese bomber runs missed their target, as they were flying too high, but the Langley's luck ran out the third time around and it was hit three times, setting the planes on her flight deck aflame. The carrier began to list. Commander McConnell lost his ability to navigate the ship. McConnell ordered the Langley abandoned, and the escort destroyers were able to take his crew to safety. Of the 300 crewmen, only 16 were lost. The destroyers then sank the Langley before the Japanese were able to capture it

The USS Langley served as a place for the US Navy to experiment with tactics and techniques as they learned to incorporate the airplane into naval operations.  The Langley first served in the Atlantic before moving to the Pacific, allowing numerous early naval aviators to practice landing and takeoffs on the deck.  The Langley is seen here underway off San Diego, California, 1928, with Vought VE-7 aircraft on the flight deck.  (US Naval History and Heritage Command, NH 81279)

Numerous other flight experiments were also conducted using the USS Langley as the testbed.  A Pitcairn XOP-1 (PCA-2) Autogiro can be seen here piloted by Lt. Alfred Pride in flight off the starboard bow of the USS Langley, while the carrier is underway, probably on September 23, 1931, when the XOP-1 became the first rotary-wing aircraft to land on an aircraft carrier.  (Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, NASM A-47855)

The USS Langley started its career as the collier USS Jupiter.  The USS Jupiter transported coal for the Navy but was converted into an aircraft carrier in the Norfolk Navy Yard by adding a flight deck and aircraft elevators.  The large holds that were once used to transport coal within the ship made ideal airplane hangers once the conversion was complete.  (US Naval History and Heritage Command, NH 52365)

The namesake for the USS Langley was Samuel Pierpont Langley, aviation pioneer and third Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.  Langley tested his aircraft, the Langley Aerodrome, on a houseboat in the Potomac River, connecting him in a way to naval aviation. (Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, NASM 2003-30822)

Many technologies still in use on modern aircraft carriers, such as catapults to launch aircraft off the flight deck, were first experimented with aboard the USS Langley.  A Douglas DT-2 is seen here with catapult deck gear preparing to launch in 1925. (US Naval History and Heritage Command, NH 72930)

The large hold of the USS Langley allowed numerous aircraft to be stored when not performing flight operations.  The larger plane in the foreground is a Douglas DT torpedo bomber, with its wings removed. Other aircraft are Vought VE-7s of Fighting Squadron Two (VF-2), including Bureau #s A5936 (marked 2-F-9) and A5938 (marked 2-F-8).  (US Naval History and Heritage Command, NH 72927)

In 1937, the USS Langley was converted into a seaplane tender and reclassified as AV-3.  The flight deck was shortened, and equipment was added that allowed US Navy seaplanes to be repaired and refueled on board while at sea.  (US Naval History and Heritage Command, NH 81918)

As the United States entered World War II, the USS Langley was still operational and was put into service in the Pacific.  On February 27, 1942, the Langley was carrying 32 Curtiss P-40 "Warhawk" aircraft for the defense of Java when it was attacked by Japanese air assets.  The USS Langley was crippled during the attack and was later scuttled by torpedoes from the USS Whipple (seen here) after being abandoned.