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Description
*Note* everything shown below is a “what-if” scenario, based on real events and real situations, but ultimately fictional. Sorry, but this took a lot longer than I thought it would, plus I've been exceptionally busy for the past two months. Hopefully I have it in me to do a couple of follow ups to this design. Also, I know I asked if you wanted a "World War II" version, but I kind of went Korean War because I thought I could play with some other aircraft like the F9F and the Skypirate.

Garland-class Light Carrier

Garland-class Light Carriers (Navy Hull-classification DVE) is a type of catamaran light aircraft carrier that employed two Tomlin-class Pursuit Destroyer hulls to provide a light aircraft operation.

Due to the carrier's simplistic yet advanced design and ease of access to critical components such as engines and lines, the vessel is still in service in many places with no definite retirement date known.

Design and Development
Glatfelter Shipbuilders of Agusta, Maine began construction of 8 Tomlin-class Pursuit Destroyers/Destroyer Escorts for the US Navy in 1929 with the addition of 4 hulls to be laid for construction of future units. When the Great Depression hit, the 4 additional units were ordered to finish construction of the hull, but remain unpowered and unfinished until a possible deal with the US Coast Guard could be achieved. Given the Depression's effects on the Coast Guard as well, the ship hulls remained in a limbo state.

In 1932, George Asher of Glatfelter Shipbuilders proposed a type of vessel he called "Light Support Carrier No. 2" (Glatfelter had proposed a light carrier years earlier but was rejected with the end of the first world war in sight. The proposal utilized two of the unfinished Tomlin-class hulls, joined together by a strong platform upon which a flat, wooden deck was to be installed. No additional structures were drawn in, nor was any accompanying support other than a pair of anti-aircraft gun posts at the port-fore and starboard-rear corners. While the desin was certainly simple, it offered something impressive: a means of quickly building aircraft carriers, launching aircraft, and providing cheap fixed-wing support. The Navy, impressed with ingenuity of the proposal, approved a test using two of the four unfinished Tomlin hulls. The vessel would remain unpowered, but would receive a flattop carrier deck.

The test ship, originally named the SS Glatfelter Courier at its launch, took an impressively short 3 months to build once parts had been sourced. Once launched in 1935, the vessel was tugged to open waters where she underwent a number of Atlantic Ocean tests, and she managed to show rigidity despite high waves, strong storms, and other adverse weather.

On August 9, 1935, she would join up with the USS Lexington (CV-2), which launched a single Vought SBU Corsair from its deck that was successfully recovered by the SS Glatfelter Courier then launched minutes later. For the next three hours, the aircraft performed nearly 20 landings and takeoffs before finally landing aboard the SS Glatfelter Courier, where the aircraft was stowed for transport back to shore.

Once back to port, the Navy approved the vessel to be incorporated into the non-commissioned vessels as a test vehicle. The SS Glatfelter Courier officially became Glatfelter Test Vessel 1 and began a test service shortly afterwards. During this time, the vessel was given engines and returned to the ocean for further testing, this time with its own team of aircraft.

Following the second wave of trials, it was determined that the carrier wasn't launching the aircraft well enough to allow anything other than a high-lift biplane off of the deck. The risk was too great that if the aircraft were launched level with the water that it may descend into the ocean if it were too slow. To get around this, the Navy would install a ramp on the front of the ship that angled the deck upwards nearly 20 degrees, enough so that a larger and heavier attack aircraft could depart from the deck without running the risk of falling right into the water. An advantage to this was that a failure to catch the wire would ensure that the aircraft had enough potential energy to recover its speed on failure. Testing continued after that. An additional proposal was made to add a catapult to the center of the deck to further improve the launch speeds.

In January of 1936, George Asher proposed a new modification, unaware of the Navy's catapult plan. He proposed splitting the deck in half, with one half being used for landings and the second half being angled upwards by 20 degrees almost 20 feet in the air, ensuring a good clean launch into the air. The Navy, in the midst of talks for a catapult, tested the idea using Asher's design and found that it would allow the Navy to shorten the launch deck, increase its final angle differential from the ship's angle of attack, freeing up almost a quarter of the carrier deck behind it. The upgrade was performed, complete with a steam catapult on the launch deck.
Generation 1
Following the Imperial Japanese Navy breaking the London and Washington Naval Treaties by exceeding the approved number of active aircraft carriers, the US Navy decided to enlist a number of the Glatfelter Test Vessel No. 1 types, but with some modifications. Among the changes included the addition of a small control bridge under the catapult, multiple gun stations for anti-aircraft operations, and various other additions to make the vessel more sea-capable. Once the adjustments were completed by June 1936, the Navy ordered 12 more of the vessels. On July 9th, 1936, the vessel was officially commissioned as the USS Jonathon Garland and given the designation DVE-01, an escort, destroyer-based carrier.
Generation 2
The 2nd Generation incorporated an island superstructure on the design that was offset by an off-angle landing deck that was longer and heavier than the original deck design. The new design allowed for more aircraft on the deck, the addition of guns on the rear starboard side and a safer approach for land.

The addition of the island benefitted the carrier significantly by allowing the carrier to incorporate a flight operations team, a bridge from which the ship could be controlled, allowing the original fore bridge under the launch deck to be converted into an aviation-specific control room.
Later Variants
See Variants
Aircraft Associated with the Garland-class Bell FAL Sea Cobra The FAL Sea Cobra, based on the Bell XFL, is a fighter-strike aircraft that was developed primarily for the Garland carrier mainly due to the aircraft's small footprint when it was folded and stowed. Bell SFL Sea Cobra The scout fighter variant of the FAL, the SFL was primarily used for early warning alerts against Japanese ships, carrier battlegroups, and submarines. Grumman F4F Wildcat A small number of Wildcats were introduced on Garland-class carriers for a better dedicated fighter role. Vought F4U Corsair The Corsair and its variants were introduced aboard the aircraft carriers to supplement the FALs as dedicated fighter aircraft. We eventually replaced by the smaller F4A Bison. Brewster F4A Bison The F4A Bison was a mid-engined variation of the F3A Corsair, and was specifically modified for operations on the Garland carrier. Commonwealth Sea Boomerang The Australian light fighter that was manufactured for other carriers as well, but saw the majority of its service off of the Garland-class units. Vought TB2U Volare A twin-engine revision of the original V-173, which was used for torpedo and dive bombing. Bell FA2L Super Sea Cobra The enlarged, more powerful variant of the FAL Sea Cobra, the FA2L was a monstrosity in the air. North American SJ Seeker The first dedicated anti-submarine aircraft, the SJ was a modified variant of the North American CJ Courier that had the ability to carry magnetic anomaly detectors, depth charges, and homing torpedoes. Goodyear F3G/AG Super Corsair The Super Corsair, while originally planned for use as a heavy fighter, was employed by the Navy as the original anti-ship aircraft in the Zimmerman Pacific Air Wall . The aircraft could carry up to 5 Tiny Tim rockets and was planned to target carriers. Douglas SD/S-1 Skypirate Modified for anti-submarine operations, the Skypirate was used by the Navy off of Garland carriers until the 1960s and by the Coast Guard until the 1990s. Douglas A2D/A-1K Skyshark The Zimmerman Pacific Air Wall employed the A2D/A-1K as the primary replacement to the Goodyear AG Super Corsair. The aircraft was primarily planned to be used as an anti-ship/electronic jammer aircraft. Grumman S2F/S-2 Tracker S2F/S-2 Trackers were a common sight aboard the Navy's Garland carriers as part of the Zimmerman Pacific Air Wall . Fairey Gannet AS.4 The anti-submarine variant of the Fairey Gannet saw considerable usage by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. Breguet Alize The anti-submarine French aircraft was a common patrol aircraft aboard the French Garland-class vessels. Grumman CF/C-1 Trader The Grumman Traders were heavily used by the Zimmerman Pacific Wall to circulate supplies, equipment, sailors, and other goods without having to return to harbor. Ling-Temco-Vought PV-2/CV-2 Charger The LTV PV-2 and CV-2 were common operators off of the LH variants of the vessel. Hawker AV-8/FV-8 Harrier Early generation Harriers were operated by the Marine Corps off of theirs and US Navy SCB 70D carriers McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II The US-built variants of the Harrier II were heavily operated off of SCB 70s. Boeing FV-8 Harrier II The Boeing-built fighter variant of the McDonnell Douglas AV-8 Harrier II was capable of air-to-air intercepts and aerial supremacy. Operated off of SCB 70D conversions. Northrop F-17 Sea Cobra The Northrop-built F-17 was introduced for operations from US Navy and Marine Corps CATOBAR variants (SCB 70) of the Garland carrier. Ling-Temco-Vought CV-11 Clydesdale The successor to the V-2 airframe, the CV-11 was operated by the US Navy routinely for submarine resupply and COD for CATOVL vessels. Northrop Grumman F-17E/F Super Sea Cobra The Super Sea Cobra was the successor to the F-17 Sea Cobras, featuring better powerplants, faster accelerations, and larger payloads. McDonnell Douglas/Boeing A-12 Avenger II The A-12 is commonly operated off of carriers dedicated for special operations, such as the USS Warchief (DV-65) Boeing-Bell V-22 Osprey The Osprey filled similar roles as the V-2 and V-11, with the added benefit of being rated for the battlefield and other roles as well. Lockheed F-35B Lightning The VTOL variant of the F-35 was introduced by both the Marines and Navy to operate from the CATOVL types. Lockheed Martin MQV-27 Sentry The MQV-27 is a common aircraft used aboard Marine and Navy carriers and conversions given its power, payload, stealth, and range, all of which place it above their manned counterparts due to increased safety. Variants Generation 1 Vessels
The original vessels featured parallel landing and take-off decks, with no superstructure. The decks were mostly laid with red pine wood, often painted gray, though some of the younger vessels were left in stained red pine sourced from Acadia National Park. Unlike later variants of the design which reoriented the screws to line up with the center of mass of the ship, the Generation 1 vessels were lined up with their hulls. Aircraft were stored on the deck of the carrier, left to weather the elements. Only 16 of the vessels were made this way.
Generation 2 Vessels
The Generation 2 vessels were initially launched in 1939, with all of the vessels featuring an off-angle landing deck, island superstructure at the rear of the starboard side, and realigned propellers with the center of mass of the vessel. All of the remaining 113 of 129 total vessels were of this type and were the basis of the future upgrades and conversions.
US Upgrades and Conversions SCB 70 Modernization
The first modernization of its kind, the Garland-class vessel USS Richard Canton (DV-92) underwent an upgrade at Newport News in 1951. As part of the upgrade, the vessel had a structure built over the original runway that enabled the carrier to house aircraft out of the weather in hangars. On top of this structure a new runway was installed with all of the accompanying arrestor cable equipment running along the insides near the edges. The catapult was improved to allow for a larger launch load (specifically for the S2F Tracker). To avoid having to implement an elevator, a taxi deck was added where aircraft could taxi back to the end of the ski ramp where they could attach to the catapult and operate in a reverse manner down to the hangar entrance. If the catapult was seized, the aircraft could use its brakes to slowly roll down, but it was preferable to use the catapult for safety reasons. A jet blast door was added behind the catapult.
SCB 70A Conversion (LHL)
A number of Gen 2s in service with the US Marine Corps were converted to LHLs in the early 1950s as Landing Helicopter Boat Launches (LHLs). These vessels were intended to carry up to two LCUs underneath it in a slung configuration. The helicopter deck was straightened to operate parallel with the direction of travel and the superstructure was extended to overtake the original launch ramp as a hangar. While the Marines were the first to do this conversion, 4 were converted for the Navy.
SCB 70B Conversion
The SCB 70B was the creation of a small number of LPHs based on the SCB 70A for the Coast Guard as part of the US Coast Guard Coastal Defense Fleet & Force as a mixture of Coastal Defense and rescue operations. Following the SCB 70A conversions, they had the same deck, hangar space, and configurations (minus a significant amount of the firepower), but had no LCU launch point underneath. These vessels were designated as WCHs.
SCB 70C Conversion
A number of Gen 2s would undergo the same LHL conversion, but would have an additional change underneath the catamaran deck to make them Landing Helicopter Submarine vessels, which enabled them to dock with submarines while in motion while also launching helicopters and VTOL aircraft that could support submarines farther away from the line of sight of possible enemy submarines. LHS designations were assigned to these vessels. A second upgrade (known as SCB 70E) was performed in the 1970s which followed the direction of the SCB 70D, where the deck was converted into a hangar with a superstructure overhead and new weapons.
SCB 70D Vessels
The last major upgrade to the vessel was completed following a push by the Royal Navy for something similar. The SCB 70D was started by the US Navy as a CATOVL carrier, where VTOL aircraft could be launched via a catapult and recovered using a VTOL deck. The ship applied the parallel deck applications, where the launch deck remained in the same position, but the recovery deck was lined up with the same direction as the catapult. The VTOL deck was a modified grated system that allowed for jet thrust to punch through and prevent the aircraft from trapping air on the landing approach. Directly in front of it, the vessel featured a hangar on what once was the runway. Atop the hangar was a second superstructure for battle command and air traffic control, freeing up the original superstructure for ship command. Additional weapons were incorporated on top of the new hangar structure, including cruise missiles and SAMs. This upgrade influenced the SCB 70E upgrade to the LHS vessels (SCB 70C).
Foreign Variants
The majority of foreign upgrades followed US proposals, but a handful of different modifications were made that separated the vessel from the US designs.
Harold-subclass (Belgium)
The Andre Harold-subclass was a pair of gifted Garland Gen 2s that were converted into anti-submarine carriers based on the SCB 70 conversion. However, unlike the SCB 70, the Belgian Navy designed a modification which allowed up to 6 Scania S.60 Valkyria missiles to be carried underneath the catamaran deck in "lever launchers", which would deploy on a hinge to align upwards, with the missile pointed up through tubes that ran through the hangar bay to the main deck. Silo caps on the main deck would deploy to allow the missile to launch through the tube, at which point the tube would be recovered back to the deck. The purpose of this weapon was a "beach lander" operation, where the missiles could attack pillboxes similar to the ones used by the Germans during D-day and punch a hole right up the enemy beach defenses. Another use was the atomic warheads, which could enable the missile to attack Soviet patrol fleets. The US Navy would operate a specially-marked C-1 Trader that would carry the warheads to the Belgian carrier that would then be installed on the missiles if nuclear war was inevitable.
Laertes-subclass (United Kingdom)
The Laertes-subclass (named after the HMS Laertes, a patrol boat sunk during World War II) was a number of anti-submarine carrier conversions that followed the SCB 70 configuration that were used primarily for carrying the Fairey Gannet. Upgrades to the subclass later included the addition of anti-submarine missiles, torpedoes, and rockets.
Lorraine-subclass (France)
The French would introduce the Lorraine-subclass with the acquisition of a number of ex-US Navy Garland carriers. The carrier design followed SCB 70, but featured a more straightened carrier deck to free up space on the left hull for air defenses. The carrier, much like the British Laertes-subclass) , was developed to operate the light anti-submarine aircraft such as the Avenger and later the Breguet Alize, and did so marvelously until the end of the Cold War.
Pleiades-subclass (United Kingdom)
Following a request to the United States regarding a CATOVL-type variant that resulted in the SCB 70D, the United Kingdom began work on their own version of a CATOVL carrier for the Sea Harrier. The Pleiades-subclass followed the initial design for the SCB 70D, but ultimately broke from it with the incorporation of cruise missile launch tubes under the launch deck, which removed the launch control bridge, and the addition of a naval gun on the rear behind the main island superstructure.
Operational History
The first Garland-class vessels were introduced into US Navy service starting in 1936 following the Japanese Navy's violation of the London and Washington Naval Treaties. The initial carriers were assigned squadrons of Brewster Buffaloes and Curtiss SBC Helldivers (first generation), which were used in patrols off of the US coast and her territories. A handful of the Gen 1s were loaned to the United Kingdom and Canada at the onset of World War II.
World War II Battle of Norway
The Royal Navy first fielded their Gen 1 and 2 carriers off of the North Sea coast, using the carriers against German Navy forces in Norway. It was during this operation that the HMS Antony Roufaeil, a Gen 1 carrier, became the first casualty. A German U-boat, likely U-23, was able to score two hits on the carrier's starboard hull, causing the vessel to list hard to starboard. As the vessel began leaning, the FAA launched the two Fairey Swordfish remaining on deck off of the landing runway, sending them to the Scottish shores. To the delight of the crew, the vessel did not outright sink, as the still floating left side combined with the trapped air between the slide and hull under the catamaran deck kept the majority of the vessel out of the water. However, the water ingestion into the engine shut off the starboard engine, causing the vessel to go about in a right-turn continuously on just the left's power. While attempts were made to float the right side and recover, the sight of a small German fleet to the South forced them to scuttle the left side, sink the carrier, and surrender.

The remaining two carriers in Royal Navy service would carry out a number of critical strikes on German Marine forces and provide surprise intervention against the Luftwaffe overhead. Boulton-Paul Sea Deviant aircraft were able to claim a number of Luftwaffe bombers that went on light bombing missions to the North, orphaning the aircraft from their formation before tearing them out of the skies with their 20mm cannons.
Battle of Britain
Throughout the Battle of Britain, the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy would stow their Garland-class carriers to the North in either the Irish Sea or near the Coast of Scotland. A handful of intercept missions were carried out by Boulton-Paul Sea Deviants and Brewster Buffaloes, but the missions were few and far between until the later stages of the battle, when the HMS Nightingale would move down the English coast to launch surprise counterattacks against the bomber squadrons targeting Norwich and Ipswich.
Solomons Campaign
The Garland-class would see its first conflicts in the Pacific, operating as much-needed aviation assets in smaller patrol groups and aviation teams. During the Campaign in the Solomon Islands, the US Navy would field a small number of Garland-class carriers carrying Bell FAL Sea Cobras , which were used to engage with Japanese fighter planes and carry out limited airstrikes on Japanese ground forces. During the conflict, the USS Jesse Goodman (DVE-4) was hit by 2 strikes from a pair of Japanese B5N Kate bombers and, despite listing on its port hull, was able to be fixed and returned to service the next week.
New Guinea Campaign
During the Marine invasion of Japanese controlled Northern regions of New Guinea Island, the US Marine Corps would employ a number of their carriers and ships to ensure proper landing on the shores. During the engagement, the USMCS Persistence (DV-33) was heavily relied upon for carrying out the aviation aspects of the early invasion as Japanese bomber forces attempted to blanket Australian forces moving North from the Southern shores of the island. The HMAS Logan, an Australian Garland-class carrier, saw significant service in the region during this time.
Atlantic Convoys
Canadian and United States Garland carriers would often find themselves acting as escorts to the Atlantic convoys. During these missions, the Garlands often led the fleet by a few miles, launching light scout planes such as the Bell SFL Sea Cobra which then hunted the possible submarine threats in the open waters in front of the convoy.
Operation Matchbox
During Operation Matchbox, the Allied Invasion of the Azores, the US Navy and Marine Corps would utilize Garland-class carriers to help carry out the invasions and help spearhead the anti-submarine campaign. During the engagement, a pair of SBD Dauntless dive bombers operating from the USS Garland (DVE-1) managed to badly damage the Iberian aircraft carrier Valparaiso, which was forced to retreat to the Canary Islands for repairs. During the majority of the engagement, US Navy and Marine carriers were used to ensure that the airspace was kept sterile of Axis aircraft.

Following the success of Operations Tinder and Torch, Garland carriers were returned to the Azores to help provide defense and aerial early warning operations to the forces on the islands in order to prevent a planned flank on Allied Forces in the South.
Operation Tinder
During Operation Tinder, the Allied Invasion of the Canary Islands, the same forces that had led the strikes on the Azores were now engaging the Iberian Armed Forces on the Canary Islands. The Garland-class carriers were operated in between the Canary Islands and Morocco, cutting off retreat to the Iberian-controlled African coast and leading to the surrender of nearly 8,000 Iberian personnel, 20 ships, and over 100 aircraft, leading into Operation Torch, the Invasion of Morocco.
Operation Torch
Prior to Operation Torch, all of the Garland carriers of the previous two engagements in both the Azores and Canary Islands quickly withdrew to the Azores, where a number of land-based fighter/attack aircraft were loaded onto the carrier decks. Upon return to the invasion point, the Navy would launch these aircraft on one-way strikes, at which point they were flown to forward airbases in Morocco. The carriers would then recover their original Navy/Marine accompaniment from the Azores and return to the conflict.
Korean War
The Garland-class vessels in the US Navy saw considerably less usage than other conventional carriers during the Korean Conflict. However, the ships still maintained valuable roles in the Navy's general plan of attack, with a number of the carriers being used as emergency recovery carriers for damaged aircraft to reduce clogging up carriers with firefighting and medical tasks. Likewise, the carriers were also used to launch a number of Goodyear F3G/AG Super Corsairs in strike missions against larger Korean structures in the North.

The Marine Corps continued to employ their vessels in the conflict, mainly using them to launch limited shore strikes.

Australian Garlands were heavily employed in the early engagements in order to launch Sea Furys in the escort role while the main carriers would carry out the attack and strike missions.
European Patrols
Both the French and British Navies would employ the Garland-class carriers in the Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, and Norwegian Sea to hunt Soviet submarines. The Royal Navy would adopt the US Navy's SCB 70 conversion with the Laertes-subclass for their Fairey Gannet anti-submarine aircraft while the French would adopt the Lorraine-subclass for carrying the Breguet Alizé. Both Navies would deploy the carriers until the late 1970s, with the Royal Navy modifying a number of theirs for the CATOVL role with the Harrier and the French employing theirs as trainers until the mid-90s.
Zimmerman Pacific Wall
The Zimmerman Pacific Air Wall , a blockade tactic against the growing threat of Soviet Luchenka-class Carriers that could carry the nuclear-capable Ilyushin Il-36 Bastion and the then under-construction ballistic missile submarines, would largely employ the Garland-class vessels as the individual pickets of the blockade while relying on smaller vessels for early-warning. By 1962, all of the remaining Garland-class carriers in US Navy service (the Coast Guard and Marine units were independent) were operating with the Zimmerman Plan.

With the US's outbreak in Vietnam, a handful of Garland-class vessels were pulled from the picket line to join the main battlegroups in the fight, but this would be the only time until the end of the Cold War that the vessels would see any external deployment.
Vietnam
The US would use the Garlands as recovery ships during the Vietnam War, given that they were capable of catching any aircraft on their deck in the event of an emergency and dealing with them using specially modified fire engines that could be towed by the catapult. During this time, a handful of composite squadrons would carry out electronic warfare using the Douglas EA-1M to try and jam surface-to-air missile systems.
Persian Gulf War
Similar to Vietnam, the US Navy would deploy a number of their carriers to the Persian Gulf to support operations over Iraq. The FV-8 would see a number of deployments during this phase alongside the F-17.
Afghanistan
The first official use of the McDonnell Douglas/Boeing A-12 Avenger II occurred over the skies of Afghanistan, launched from the USS Warchief (DV-65) that was operating in the Persian Gulf at the time. The strikes managed to be carried out over Iranian airspace, suggesting the possibility that the US Navy had been keeping the carriers in the area to fly reconnaissance missions over Iran.
List of Famous Garland-class Ships

USS Jonathon Garland

Generation 1

First vessel of the Garland-class family

USS Jesse Goodman (DVE-4)

Generation 1

Survived heavy torpedoing from Japanese torpedo bombers during the Battle of the Solomons, would survive until the end of the war.

HMS Antony Roufaeil

Generation 1

Sunk during Battle of Norway (likely by U-23)

HMS Nightingale

Generation 2, upgraded to Laertes conversion in 1956

HMAS Logan

Generation 2, converted to SCB-70

Australian carrier served with the RAN FAA during World War II and as anti-submarine operations post-war.

USMCS Persistence (DV-33)

Generation 2, converted to SCB-70

Marine carrier used heavily during the New Guinea Campaign.

USS Calvin A. Armitage (DV-42)

Generation 2, converted to SCB-70D CATOVL Type

US Navy carrier used in the initial Zimmerman Pacific Sea Wall then upgraded in 1972 to the SCB-70D. The carrier is still in service today with the F-35E fighter jet.

USS Lionel Huffman (DVE-109)

Generation 2, converted to SCB 70 CATOBAR type in 1954, to SCB 70D CATOVL type in 1972.

Captured the I-404 submersible aircraft carrier , which later became the USS Walrus (SSV-430).

USS Nakota (DV-82)

Generation 2, converted to SCB 70 CATOBAR type in 1955

Special airborne operations carrier that operated from Uganik Naval Station

USS Warchief (DV-65)

Generation 2, converted to SCB 70 CATOBAR type in 1955

Special airborne operations carrier that operated from Uganik Naval Station . Often carries the McDonnell Douglas/Boeing A-12 Avenger II

Description
*Note* everything shown below is a “what-if” scenario, based on real events and real situations, but ultimately fictional. Sorry, but this took a lot longer than I thought it would, plus I've been exceptionally busy for the past two months. Hopefully I have it in me to do a couple of follow ups to this design. Also, I know I asked if you wanted a "World War II" version, but I kind of went Korean War because I thought I could play with some other aircraft like the F9F and the Skypirate.

Garland-class Light Carrier

Garland-class Light Carriers (Navy Hull-classification DVE) is a type of catamaran light aircraft carrier that employed two Tomlin-class Pursuit Destroyer hulls to provide a light aircraft operation.

Due to the carrier's simplistic yet advanced design and ease of access to critical components such as engines and lines, the vessel is still in service in many places with no definite retirement date known.

Design and Development
Glatfelter Shipbuilders of Agusta, Maine began construction of 8 Tomlin-class Pursuit Destroyers/Destroyer Escorts for the US Navy in 1929 with the addition of 4 hulls to be laid for construction of future units. When the Great Depression hit, the 4 additional units were ordered to finish construction of the hull, but remain unpowered and unfinished until a possible deal with the US Coast Guard could be achieved. Given the Depression's effects on the Coast Guard as well, the ship hulls remained in a limbo state.

In 1932, George Asher of Glatfelter Shipbuilders proposed a type of vessel he called "Light Support Carrier No. 2" (Glatfelter had proposed a light carrier years earlier but was rejected with the end of the first world war in sight. The proposal utilized two of the unfinished Tomlin-class hulls, joined together by a strong platform upon which a flat, wooden deck was to be installed. No additional structures were drawn in, nor was any accompanying support other than a pair of anti-aircraft gun posts at the port-fore and starboard-rear corners. While the desin was certainly simple, it offered something impressive: a means of quickly building aircraft carriers, launching aircraft, and providing cheap fixed-wing support. The Navy, impressed with ingenuity of the proposal, approved a test using two of the four unfinished Tomlin hulls. The vessel would remain unpowered, but would receive a flattop carrier deck.

The test ship, originally named the SS Glatfelter Courier at its launch, took an impressively short 3 months to build once parts had been sourced. Once launched in 1935, the vessel was tugged to open waters where she underwent a number of Atlantic Ocean tests, and she managed to show rigidity despite high waves, strong storms, and other adverse weather.

On August 9, 1935, she would join up with the USS Lexington (CV-2), which launched a single Vought SBU Corsair from its deck that was successfully recovered by the SS Glatfelter Courier then launched minutes later. For the next three hours, the aircraft performed nearly 20 landings and takeoffs before finally landing aboard the SS Glatfelter Courier, where the aircraft was stowed for transport back to shore.

Once back to port, the Navy approved the vessel to be incorporated into the non-commissioned vessels as a test vehicle. The SS Glatfelter Courier officially became Glatfelter Test Vessel 1 and began a test service shortly afterwards. During this time, the vessel was given engines and returned to the ocean for further testing, this time with its own team of aircraft.

Following the second wave of trials, it was determined that the carrier wasn't launching the aircraft well enough to allow anything other than a high-lift biplane off of the deck. The risk was too great that if the aircraft were launched level with the water that it may descend into the ocean if it were too slow. To get around this, the Navy would install a ramp on the front of the ship that angled the deck upwards nearly 20 degrees, enough so that a larger and heavier attack aircraft could depart from the deck without running the risk of falling right into the water. An advantage to this was that a failure to catch the wire would ensure that the aircraft had enough potential energy to recover its speed on failure. Testing continued after that. An additional proposal was made to add a catapult to the center of the deck to further improve the launch speeds.

In January of 1936, George Asher proposed a new modification, unaware of the Navy's catapult plan. He proposed splitting the deck in half, with one half being used for landings and the second half being angled upwards by 20 degrees almost 20 feet in the air, ensuring a good clean launch into the air. The Navy, in the midst of talks for a catapult, tested the idea using Asher's design and found that it would allow the Navy to shorten the launch deck, increase its final angle differential from the ship's angle of attack, freeing up almost a quarter of the carrier deck behind it. The upgrade was performed, complete with a steam catapult on the launch deck.
Generation 1
Following the Imperial Japanese Navy breaking the London and Washington Naval Treaties by exceeding the approved number of active aircraft carriers, the US Navy decided to enlist a number of the Glatfelter Test Vessel No. 1 types, but with some modifications. Among the changes included the addition of a small control bridge under the catapult, multiple gun stations for anti-aircraft operations, and various other additions to make the vessel more sea-capable. Once the adjustments were completed by June 1936, the Navy ordered 12 more of the vessels. On July 9th, 1936, the vessel was officially commissioned as the USS Jonathon Garland and given the designation DVE-01, an escort, destroyer-based carrier.
Generation 2
The 2nd Generation incorporated an island superstructure on the design that was offset by an off-angle landing deck that was longer and heavier than the original deck design. The new design allowed for more aircraft on the deck, the addition of guns on the rear starboard side and a safer approach for land.

The addition of the island benefitted the carrier significantly by allowing the carrier to incorporate a flight operations team, a bridge from which the ship could be controlled, allowing the original fore bridge under the launch deck to be converted into an aviation-specific control room.
Later Variants
See Variants
Aircraft Associated with the Garland-class Bell FAL Sea Cobra The FAL Sea Cobra, based on the Bell XFL, is a fighter-strike aircraft that was developed primarily for the Garland carrier mainly due to the aircraft's small footprint when it was folded and stowed. Bell SFL Sea Cobra The scout fighter variant of the FAL, the SFL was primarily used for early warning alerts against Japanese ships, carrier battlegroups, and submarines. Grumman F4F Wildcat A small number of Wildcats were introduced on Garland-class carriers for a better dedicated fighter role. Vought F4U Corsair The Corsair and its variants were introduced aboard the aircraft carriers to supplement the FALs as dedicated fighter aircraft. We eventually replaced by the smaller F4A Bison. Brewster F4A Bison The F4A Bison was a mid-engined variation of the F3A Corsair, and was specifically modified for operations on the Garland carrier. Commonwealth Sea Boomerang The Australian light fighter that was manufactured for other carriers as well, but saw the majority of its service off of the Garland-class units. Vought TB2U Volare A twin-engine revision of the original V-173, which was used for torpedo and dive bombing. Bell FA2L Super Sea Cobra The enlarged, more powerful variant of the FAL Sea Cobra, the FA2L was a monstrosity in the air. North American SJ Seeker The first dedicated anti-submarine aircraft, the SJ was a modified variant of the North American CJ Courier that had the ability to carry magnetic anomaly detectors, depth charges, and homing torpedoes. Goodyear F3G/AG Super Corsair The Super Corsair, while originally planned for use as a heavy fighter, was employed by the Navy as the original anti-ship aircraft in the Zimmerman Pacific Air Wall . The aircraft could carry up to 5 Tiny Tim rockets and was planned to target carriers. Douglas SD/S-1 Skypirate Modified for anti-submarine operations, the Skypirate was used by the Navy off of Garland carriers until the 1960s and by the Coast Guard until the 1990s. Douglas A2D/A-1K Skyshark The Zimmerman Pacific Air Wall employed the A2D/A-1K as the primary replacement to the Goodyear AG Super Corsair. The aircraft was primarily planned to be used as an anti-ship/electronic jammer aircraft. Grumman S2F/S-2 Tracker S2F/S-2 Trackers were a common sight aboard the Navy's Garland carriers as part of the Zimmerman Pacific Air Wall . Fairey Gannet AS.4 The anti-submarine variant of the Fairey Gannet saw considerable usage by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. Breguet Alize The anti-submarine French aircraft was a common patrol aircraft aboard the French Garland-class vessels. Grumman CF/C-1 Trader The Grumman Traders were heavily used by the Zimmerman Pacific Wall to circulate supplies, equipment, sailors, and other goods without having to return to harbor. Ling-Temco-Vought PV-2/CV-2 Charger The LTV PV-2 and CV-2 were common operators off of the LH variants of the vessel. Hawker AV-8/FV-8 Harrier Early generation Harriers were operated by the Marine Corps off of theirs and US Navy SCB 70D carriers McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II The US-built variants of the Harrier II were heavily operated off of SCB 70s. Boeing FV-8 Harrier II The Boeing-built fighter variant of the McDonnell Douglas AV-8 Harrier II was capable of air-to-air intercepts and aerial supremacy. Operated off of SCB 70D conversions. Northrop F-17 Sea Cobra The Northrop-built F-17 was introduced for operations from US Navy and Marine Corps CATOBAR variants (SCB 70) of the Garland carrier. Ling-Temco-Vought CV-11 Clydesdale The successor to the V-2 airframe, the CV-11 was operated by the US Navy routinely for submarine resupply and COD for CATOVL vessels. Northrop Grumman F-17E/F Super Sea Cobra The Super Sea Cobra was the successor to the F-17 Sea Cobras, featuring better powerplants, faster accelerations, and larger payloads. McDonnell Douglas/Boeing A-12 Avenger II The A-12 is commonly operated off of carriers dedicated for special operations, such as the USS Warchief (DV-65) Boeing-Bell V-22 Osprey The Osprey filled similar roles as the V-2 and V-11, with the added benefit of being rated for the battlefield and other roles as well. Lockheed F-35B Lightning The VTOL variant of the F-35 was introduced by both the Marines and Navy to operate from the CATOVL types. Lockheed Martin MQV-27 Sentry The MQV-27 is a common aircraft used aboard Marine and Navy carriers and conversions given its power, payload, stealth, and range, all of which place it above their manned counterparts due to increased safety. Variants Generation 1 Vessels
The original vessels featured parallel landing and take-off decks, with no superstructure. The decks were mostly laid with red pine wood, often painted gray, though some of the younger vessels were left in stained red pine sourced from Acadia National Park. Unlike later variants of the design which reoriented the screws to line up with the center of mass of the ship, the Generation 1 vessels were lined up with their hulls. Aircraft were stored on the deck of the carrier, left to weather the elements. Only 16 of the vessels were made this way.
Generation 2 Vessels
The Generation 2 vessels were initially launched in 1939, with all of the vessels featuring an off-angle landing deck, island superstructure at the rear of the starboard side, and realigned propellers with the center of mass of the vessel. All of the remaining 113 of 129 total vessels were of this type and were the basis of the future upgrades and conversions.
US Upgrades and Conversions SCB 70 Modernization
The first modernization of its kind, the Garland-class vessel USS Richard Canton (DV-92) underwent an upgrade at Newport News in 1951. As part of the upgrade, the vessel had a structure built over the original runway that enabled the carrier to house aircraft out of the weather in hangars. On top of this structure a new runway was installed with all of the accompanying arrestor cable equipment running along the insides near the edges. The catapult was improved to allow for a larger launch load (specifically for the S2F Tracker). To avoid having to implement an elevator, a taxi deck was added where aircraft could taxi back to the end of the ski ramp where they could attach to the catapult and operate in a reverse manner down to the hangar entrance. If the catapult was seized, the aircraft could use its brakes to slowly roll down, but it was preferable to use the catapult for safety reasons. A jet blast door was added behind the catapult.
SCB 70A Conversion (LHL)
A number of Gen 2s in service with the US Marine Corps were converted to LHLs in the early 1950s as Landing Helicopter Boat Launches (LHLs). These vessels were intended to carry up to two LCUs underneath it in a slung configuration. The helicopter deck was straightened to operate parallel with the direction of travel and the superstructure was extended to overtake the original launch ramp as a hangar. While the Marines were the first to do this conversion, 4 were converted for the Navy.
SCB 70B Conversion
The SCB 70B was the creation of a small number of LPHs based on the SCB 70A for the Coast Guard as part of the US Coast Guard Coastal Defense Fleet & Force as a mixture of Coastal Defense and rescue operations. Following the SCB 70A conversions, they had the same deck, hangar space, and configurations (minus a significant amount of the firepower), but had no LCU launch point underneath. These vessels were designated as WCHs.
SCB 70C Conversion
A number of Gen 2s would undergo the same LHL conversion, but would have an additional change underneath the catamaran deck to make them Landing Helicopter Submarine vessels, which enabled them to dock with submarines while in motion while also launching helicopters and VTOL aircraft that could support submarines farther away from the line of sight of possible enemy submarines. LHS designations were assigned to these vessels. A second upgrade (known as SCB 70E) was performed in the 1970s which followed the direction of the SCB 70D, where the deck was converted into a hangar with a superstructure overhead and new weapons.
SCB 70D Vessels
The last major upgrade to the vessel was completed following a push by the Royal Navy for something similar. The SCB 70D was started by the US Navy as a CATOVL carrier, where VTOL aircraft could be launched via a catapult and recovered using a VTOL deck. The ship applied the parallel deck applications, where the launch deck remained in the same position, but the recovery deck was lined up with the same direction as the catapult. The VTOL deck was a modified grated system that allowed for jet thrust to punch through and prevent the aircraft from trapping air on the landing approach. Directly in front of it, the vessel featured a hangar on what once was the runway. Atop the hangar was a second superstructure for battle command and air traffic control, freeing up the original superstructure for ship command. Additional weapons were incorporated on top of the new hangar structure, including cruise missiles and SAMs. This upgrade influenced the SCB 70E upgrade to the LHS vessels (SCB 70C).
Foreign Variants
The majority of foreign upgrades followed US proposals, but a handful of different modifications were made that separated the vessel from the US designs.
Harold-subclass (Belgium)
The Andre Harold-subclass was a pair of gifted Garland Gen 2s that were converted into anti-submarine carriers based on the SCB 70 conversion. However, unlike the SCB 70, the Belgian Navy designed a modification which allowed up to 6 Scania S.60 Valkyria missiles to be carried underneath the catamaran deck in "lever launchers", which would deploy on a hinge to align upwards, with the missile pointed up through tubes that ran through the hangar bay to the main deck. Silo caps on the main deck would deploy to allow the missile to launch through the tube, at which point the tube would be recovered back to the deck. The purpose of this weapon was a "beach lander" operation, where the missiles could attack pillboxes similar to the ones used by the Germans during D-day and punch a hole right up the enemy beach defenses. Another use was the atomic warheads, which could enable the missile to attack Soviet patrol fleets. The US Navy would operate a specially-marked C-1 Trader that would carry the warheads to the Belgian carrier that would then be installed on the missiles if nuclear war was inevitable.
Laertes-subclass (United Kingdom)
The Laertes-subclass (named after the HMS Laertes, a patrol boat sunk during World War II) was a number of anti-submarine carrier conversions that followed the SCB 70 configuration that were used primarily for carrying the Fairey Gannet. Upgrades to the subclass later included the addition of anti-submarine missiles, torpedoes, and rockets.
Lorraine-subclass (France)
The French would introduce the Lorraine-subclass with the acquisition of a number of ex-US Navy Garland carriers. The carrier design followed SCB 70, but featured a more straightened carrier deck to free up space on the left hull for air defenses. The carrier, much like the British Laertes-subclass) , was developed to operate the light anti-submarine aircraft such as the Avenger and later the Breguet Alize, and did so marvelously until the end of the Cold War.
Pleiades-subclass (United Kingdom)
Following a request to the United States regarding a CATOVL-type variant that resulted in the SCB 70D, the United Kingdom began work on their own version of a CATOVL carrier for the Sea Harrier. The Pleiades-subclass followed the initial design for the SCB 70D, but ultimately broke from it with the incorporation of cruise missile launch tubes under the launch deck, which removed the launch control bridge, and the addition of a naval gun on the rear behind the main island superstructure.
Operational History
The first Garland-class vessels were introduced into US Navy service starting in 1936 following the Japanese Navy's violation of the London and Washington Naval Treaties. The initial carriers were assigned squadrons of Brewster Buffaloes and Curtiss SBC Helldivers (first generation), which were used in patrols off of the US coast and her territories. A handful of the Gen 1s were loaned to the United Kingdom and Canada at the onset of World War II.
World War II Battle of Norway
The Royal Navy first fielded their Gen 1 and 2 carriers off of the North Sea coast, using the carriers against German Navy forces in Norway. It was during this operation that the HMS Antony Roufaeil, a Gen 1 carrier, became the first casualty. A German U-boat, likely U-23, was able to score two hits on the carrier's starboard hull, causing the vessel to list hard to starboard. As the vessel began leaning, the FAA launched the two Fairey Swordfish remaining on deck off of the landing runway, sending them to the Scottish shores. To the delight of the crew, the vessel did not outright sink, as the still floating left side combined with the trapped air between the slide and hull under the catamaran deck kept the majority of the vessel out of the water. However, the water ingestion into the engine shut off the starboard engine, causing the vessel to go about in a right-turn continuously on just the left's power. While attempts were made to float the right side and recover, the sight of a small German fleet to the South forced them to scuttle the left side, sink the carrier, and surrender.

The remaining two carriers in Royal Navy service would carry out a number of critical strikes on German Marine forces and provide surprise intervention against the Luftwaffe overhead. Boulton-Paul Sea Deviant aircraft were able to claim a number of Luftwaffe bombers that went on light bombing missions to the North, orphaning the aircraft from their formation before tearing them out of the skies with their 20mm cannons.
Battle of Britain
Throughout the Battle of Britain, the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy would stow their Garland-class carriers to the North in either the Irish Sea or near the Coast of Scotland. A handful of intercept missions were carried out by Boulton-Paul Sea Deviants and Brewster Buffaloes, but the missions were few and far between until the later stages of the battle, when the HMS Nightingale would move down the English coast to launch surprise counterattacks against the bomber squadrons targeting Norwich and Ipswich.
Solomons Campaign
The Garland-class would see its first conflicts in the Pacific, operating as much-needed aviation assets in smaller patrol groups and aviation teams. During the Campaign in the Solomon Islands, the US Navy would field a small number of Garland-class carriers carrying Bell FAL Sea Cobras , which were used to engage with Japanese fighter planes and carry out limited airstrikes on Japanese ground forces. During the conflict, the USS Jesse Goodman (DVE-4) was hit by 2 strikes from a pair of Japanese B5N Kate bombers and, despite listing on its port hull, was able to be fixed and returned to service the next week.
New Guinea Campaign
During the Marine invasion of Japanese controlled Northern regions of New Guinea Island, the US Marine Corps would employ a number of their carriers and ships to ensure proper landing on the shores. During the engagement, the USMCS Persistence (DV-33) was heavily relied upon for carrying out the aviation aspects of the early invasion as Japanese bomber forces attempted to blanket Australian forces moving North from the Southern shores of the island. The HMAS Logan, an Australian Garland-class carrier, saw significant service in the region during this time.
Atlantic Convoys
Canadian and United States Garland carriers would often find themselves acting as escorts to the Atlantic convoys. During these missions, the Garlands often led the fleet by a few miles, launching light scout planes such as the Bell SFL Sea Cobra which then hunted the possible submarine threats in the open waters in front of the convoy.
Operation Matchbox
During Operation Matchbox, the Allied Invasion of the Azores, the US Navy and Marine Corps would utilize Garland-class carriers to help carry out the invasions and help spearhead the anti-submarine campaign. During the engagement, a pair of SBD Dauntless dive bombers operating from the USS Garland (DVE-1) managed to badly damage the Iberian aircraft carrier Valparaiso, which was forced to retreat to the Canary Islands for repairs. During the majority of the engagement, US Navy and Marine carriers were used to ensure that the airspace was kept sterile of Axis aircraft.

Following the success of Operations Tinder and Torch, Garland carriers were returned to the Azores to help provide defense and aerial early warning operations to the forces on the islands in order to prevent a planned flank on Allied Forces in the South.
Operation Tinder
During Operation Tinder, the Allied Invasion of the Canary Islands, the same forces that had led the strikes on the Azores were now engaging the Iberian Armed Forces on the Canary Islands. The Garland-class carriers were operated in between the Canary Islands and Morocco, cutting off retreat to the Iberian-controlled African coast and leading to the surrender of nearly 8,000 Iberian personnel, 20 ships, and over 100 aircraft, leading into Operation Torch, the Invasion of Morocco.
Operation Torch
Prior to Operation Torch, all of the Garland carriers of the previous two engagements in both the Azores and Canary Islands quickly withdrew to the Azores, where a number of land-based fighter/attack aircraft were loaded onto the carrier decks. Upon return to the invasion point, the Navy would launch these aircraft on one-way strikes, at which point they were flown to forward airbases in Morocco. The carriers would then recover their original Navy/Marine accompaniment from the Azores and return to the conflict.
Korean War
The Garland-class vessels in the US Navy saw considerably less usage than other conventional carriers during the Korean Conflict. However, the ships still maintained valuable roles in the Navy's general plan of attack, with a number of the carriers being used as emergency recovery carriers for damaged aircraft to reduce clogging up carriers with firefighting and medical tasks. Likewise, the carriers were also used to launch a number of Goodyear F3G/AG Super Corsairs in strike missions against larger Korean structures in the North.

The Marine Corps continued to employ their vessels in the conflict, mainly using them to launch limited shore strikes.

Australian Garlands were heavily employed in the early engagements in order to launch Sea Furys in the escort role while the main carriers would carry out the attack and strike missions.
European Patrols
Both the French and British Navies would employ the Garland-class carriers in the Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, and Norwegian Sea to hunt Soviet submarines. The Royal Navy would adopt the US Navy's SCB 70 conversion with the Laertes-subclass for their Fairey Gannet anti-submarine aircraft while the French would adopt the Lorraine-subclass for carrying the Breguet Alizé. Both Navies would deploy the carriers until the late 1970s, with the Royal Navy modifying a number of theirs for the CATOVL role with the Harrier and the French employing theirs as trainers until the mid-90s.
Zimmerman Pacific Wall
The Zimmerman Pacific Air Wall , a blockade tactic against the growing threat of Soviet Luchenka-class Carriers that could carry the nuclear-capable Ilyushin Il-36 Bastion and the then under-construction ballistic missile submarines, would largely employ the Garland-class vessels as the individual pickets of the blockade while relying on smaller vessels for early-warning. By 1962, all of the remaining Garland-class carriers in US Navy service (the Coast Guard and Marine units were independent) were operating with the Zimmerman Plan.

With the US's outbreak in Vietnam, a handful of Garland-class vessels were pulled from the picket line to join the main battlegroups in the fight, but this would be the only time until the end of the Cold War that the vessels would see any external deployment.
Vietnam
The US would use the Garlands as recovery ships during the Vietnam War, given that they were capable of catching any aircraft on their deck in the event of an emergency and dealing with them using specially modified fire engines that could be towed by the catapult. During this time, a handful of composite squadrons would carry out electronic warfare using the Douglas EA-1M to try and jam surface-to-air missile systems.
Persian Gulf War
Similar to Vietnam, the US Navy would deploy a number of their carriers to the Persian Gulf to support operations over Iraq. The FV-8 would see a number of deployments during this phase alongside the F-17.
Afghanistan
The first official use of the McDonnell Douglas/Boeing A-12 Avenger II occurred over the skies of Afghanistan, launched from the USS Warchief (DV-65) that was operating in the Persian Gulf at the time. The strikes managed to be carried out over Iranian airspace, suggesting the possibility that the US Navy had been keeping the carriers in the area to fly reconnaissance missions over Iran.
List of Famous Garland-class Ships

USS Jonathon Garland

Generation 1

First vessel of the Garland-class family

USS Jesse Goodman (DVE-4)

Generation 1

Survived heavy torpedoing from Japanese torpedo bombers during the Battle of the Solomons, would survive until the end of the war.

HMS Antony Roufaeil

Generation 1

Sunk during Battle of Norway (likely by U-23)

HMS Nightingale

Generation 2, upgraded to Laertes conversion in 1956

HMAS Logan

Generation 2, converted to SCB-70

Australian carrier served with the RAN FAA during World War II and as anti-submarine operations post-war.

USMCS Persistence (DV-33)

Generation 2, converted to SCB-70

Marine carrier used heavily during the New Guinea Campaign.

USS Calvin A. Armitage (DV-42)

Generation 2, converted to SCB-70D CATOVL Type

US Navy carrier used in the initial Zimmerman Pacific Sea Wall then upgraded in 1972 to the SCB-70D. The carrier is still in service today with the F-35E fighter jet.

USS Lionel Huffman (DVE-109)

Generation 2, converted to SCB 70 CATOBAR type in 1954, to SCB 70D CATOVL type in 1972.

Captured the I-404 submersible aircraft carrier , which later became the USS Walrus (SSV-430).

USS Nakota (DV-82)

Generation 2, converted to SCB 70 CATOBAR type in 1955

Special airborne operations carrier that operated from Uganik Naval Station

USS Warchief (DV-65)

Generation 2, converted to SCB 70 CATOBAR type in 1955

Special airborne operations carrier that operated from Uganik Naval Station . Often carries the McDonnell Douglas/Boeing A-12 Avenger II