For French North African invasion, VF-9 Wildcats assigned to carrier USS Ranger (CV-4), which was a built from keel up as an aircraft carrier, previous US carriers were hull conversions : 1) USS Langley (CV-1) converted from fleet collier, 2) USS Lexington (CV-2) and USS Saratoga (CV-3) converted from battle cruiser hulls to comply with 1922 Washington Naval Conference arms limitation treaty on battleship/cruiser tonnage. CONFERENCE ON THE LIMITATION OF ARMAMENT WASHINGTON, NOVEMBER 12 1921-FEBRUARY 6, 1922 - www.ibiblio.org/pha/pre-war/1922/nav_lim.html

Photo above shows USS Ranger in wartime dazzle camouflage intended to disrupt ship silhouette and prevent enemy recon (ex. ships, planes, submarines, coastal watchers) from clearly identifying its hull and superstructure from afar. Her smoke stack placement being the most recognized feature were also painted. Development of Naval Camouflage - www.shipcamouflage.com/development_of_naval_camouflage.htm

Rollover : Before and after photo. Before war entry, 1930s USS Ranger with prominent white landing stripes and probable Grumman F2F bi-planes on its flat top, note close proximity of smoke stacks to narrow landing stripe (bi-planes had low landing speeds, hence these obstacles were manageable). After WW2 entry, vessel painted matte military finish, but dazzle camouflage pattern not yet applied as noted by her black-colored smoke stacks. Note location of 3 elevators, one in rear, second next to command island, and third towards bow at starboard. Dazzle Camouflage : High Difference Camouflage - web.mac.com/gesamtkunstwerk/iWeb/The_Poetry_of_Sight/Dazzle%20Camouflage.html

Britain's Royal Navy credited with development of first Escort Carriers, mainly served as convoy escorts to counter enemy submarine and long-range bomber threats. These vessels converted from variety of hulls (colliers, luxury liners, merchants) and were more stable in rolling Atlantic Ocean swells compared to Light Carrier hull designs. Depending on military slang, Americans called these vessels Jeep Carriers, while British preferred term Pocket-Sized Carriers. POCKET SIZED AIRCRAFT CARRIERS - http://www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk/ESCORT/

Royal Navy's HMS Audacity (D10) was the first escort carrier (ironically converted from German merchant ship MV Hannover captured in West Indies March 1940), with space for only 8 Martlets fighters (British name for the F4F, but changed name back to Wildcats by 1944). Her Martlets credited with sinking of German U-131 submarine and two Focke Wulf Fw-200 Condor bombers before being sunk on 21 Dec. 1941 500 miles off Portugal coast. History of HMS Audacity - www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk/ESCORT/AUDACITY.htm

Inset : Combat painting of pilot perspective, flying Hurricane fighter on final approach for escort carrier landing, ever watchful of landing officer on port side giving visual instructions via two hand-held white paddles. Linguistic note, by American-English standards, Britain's Royal Navy seem to prefer grandiose nouns for ship names such as Audacity, Formidable, Glorious, Illustrious. Americans seem to prefer more down-to-earth place names for her ships like Yorktown, Enterprise, Indianapolis. Allied Warships - uboat.net/allies/warships