An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and recover aircraft — in effect acting as a sea-going airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power great distances without having to depend on local bases for land-based aircraft. Modern navies that operate such ships treat aircraft carriers as the capital ship of the fleet, a role previously played by the battleship. The change, part of the growth of air power as a significant part of warfare, took place during World War II. A battleship could fire hundreds of large caliber shells at a target and score possibly a dozen hits. Their maximum range was usually no more than thirty miles. However, an aircraft launched from a carrier could deliver "smart weapons" accurately at a range of over one hundred miles. Thus, the aircraft carrier could perform the original mission of the battleship, causing heavy damage to an enemy fleet at great distance and with superior accuracy.
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