Light aircraft carrier

In World War II, the United States Navy produced a number of light carriers by converting cruiser hulls.

These Independence-class aircraft carriers, converted from Cleveland-class light cruisers, were unsatisfactory ships for aviation with their narrow, short decks and slender, high-sheer hulls; in virtually all respects the escort carriers were superior aviation vessels.

by Independence-class ships' virtue of being available at a time when available carrier decks had been reduced to Enterprise and Saratoga in the Pacific and Ranger in the Atlantic.

The first ten were built as the Colossus class, though two of these were modified whilst under construction into aircraft maintenance carriers.

In the 1970s the Royal Navy introduced a new type of light carrier, designed to operate the V/STOL Hawker Siddeley Harrier.

Indian Navy 's INS Viraat . All modern light aircraft carriers are equipped with ski jump ramps.
Royal Navy 's HMS Invincible is the first light aircraft carrier equipped with a ski jump ramp.
Light carrier Cavour of the Italian Navy
Juan Carlos I of the Spanish Navy
Light carrier Chakri Naruebet of the Thailand Navy