AP Photo
In early 1942, England was in danger of being cut off by Nazi U-boats, which were attacking resupply convoys in the Atlantic.
To protect convoys as they crossed, a British inventor came up with a plan to build an aircraft carrier out of ice.
In early 1942, Britain was in a desperate situation.
The Royal Air Force had fought off Germany s relentless onslaught in the Battle of Britain and much of the German army was fighting the Soviets in Eastern Europe, but the British remained isolated and at risk of being cut off from the world.
Hitler s U-boats were wreaking havoc on Britain s vital supply lines, and although the US had entered the war on the side of the Allies, effective large-scale anti-submarine weapons and tactics were not yet fully developed or deployed.
US Navy
In April 1988, the US attacked Iran in the Persian Gulf in retaliation for the mining of a US ship.
Operation Praying Mantis, the largest US naval action since World War II, was brief but deadly.
Thirty-three years later, the weapons each side would use have only gotten more destructive.
Just before 8:00 a.m. on April 18, 1988, members of Iran s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) stationed on the Sassan and Sirri oil platforms in the Persian Gulf received a warning from US Navy ships several thousand yards away. You have five minutes to abandon the platform. I intend to destroy it at 0800, the warning said.
AP
Russia s only aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, has been plagued by breakdowns and mishaps.
Despite those problems and broader changes to its navy, Russia is committed to Admiral Kuznetsov s future.
Perhaps no aircraft carrier has been as mocked or as troubled as Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia s only carrier and the sole ship of it class.
Meant to usher in a new era for Soviet naval aviation, it was armed to the teeth and featured new fixed-wing aircraft. But it became clear almost immediately that Admiral Kuznetsov would not live up to expectations.
Constant mechanical issues and breakdowns, combined with a lack of resources and poor facilities, have seriously affected its ability to rival its NATO counterparts, and its only combat deployment was far from perfect.
US Navy
It s been nearly 40 years since the US got rid of its last seaplane, an aircraft long seen as outdated.
Growing attention on the Indo-Pacific and on China, which is developing its own seaplane, have revived discussion about the utility of amphibious aircraft.
March marked the 38th anniversary of the retirement of the last US military seaplane. That aircraft, an HU-16E Albatross flown by the Coast Guard, left service 16 years after the Navy retired its last seaplane.
Seaplanes played a vital role in World War II and had been considered essential for naval supremacy. Despite grand plans for them early in the Cold War, seaplanes soon fell out of favor. But recent developments in China have led some to reconsider their utility.
US Air Force/Airman Jonah Fronk
The Air Force is divesting B-1B bombers, aiming to retire the fleet by the end of the 2030s.
The bombers are considered the workhorse of the Air Force today.
At least one of the outgoing bombers will find new life as a lab to help keep other B-1s flying.
In February, the Air Force announced that it will begin retiring the B-1B Lancer from service by divesting 17 bombers from the fleet of 62.
The divestment is being done to cut costs, streamline modernization and maintenance for other aircraft, and prepare for the introduction of the Air Force s future B-21 Raider bomber.