The U.S. operated over 100 aircraft carriers in the Pacific during WWII—including roughly 27-30 large fleet/light carriers and over 60 smaller escort carriers (CVEs)—using them as central, mobile airbase strike forces. They operated in Fast Carrier Task Forces (TF 38/58) or in support of island-hopping, dominating the Pacific through superior numbers, logistics, and airpower, growing from a few ships in 1942 to a massive, unstoppable force by 1945. How US Carriers Operated in the Pacific Fast Ca