On February 27, 1942, the U.S. Navy’s first aircraft carrier, the Langley, was damaged by Japanese warplanes. All of its 32 aircraft were lost. The Langley was first used (1912) for coal transport. After World War I, it was converted into the Navy’s first aircraft carrier. The ship was hit as part of a convoy traveling toward the Dutch East Indies. Japanese war planes damaged it; most crew members were saved. The U.S. sank it to prevent capture.
