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By Captain Tim Wooldridge, USN (Ret.) - View slideshow.

Against the backdrop of spectacular long-distance flights, air races, and exploration during the 1920s, there were drastically needed and lasting changes in the management and direction of naval aviation.  The size and strength of the operating forces improved tremendously, and a wide range of technological improvements contributed immeasurably to the operational effectiveness of naval aviation in the Fleet.  By the end of the decade, squadrons of fighters, scout bombers, and torpedo planes were operating from three aircraft carriers, scout and observation squadrons were assigned to battleships and cruisers, and patrols squadrons were operating from naval air stations in Panama and Pearl Harbor.

In the 1930s, the U.S. Navy continued to demonstrate the mobility afforded by improvements in engine and airframe design.  Patrol squadrons began to fly nonstop over much greater distances.  Mass formation flights of more than twenty-four hours' duration were not uncommon.  As engine and airframe designs continued to improve, new aircraft performance records were set almost daily, with U.S. naval aviators claiming their share.  The best measure of progress in naval aviation was the effectiveness of aircraft carriers and patrol aviation in the annual Fleet Problems.  As new aircraft carriers and aircraft joined the Fleet in the 1930s, the annual Fleet Problems continued to be invaluable proving grounds for people and their machines.    

On the eve of the U.S. entry into World War II, seven fleet carriers and one escort carrier were in commission; five patrol wings and two marine aircraft wings were in operation.  There were 5,260 aircraft of all types, 6,750 Coast Guard, Navy, and Marine pilots to fly them, and 21,678 enlisted personnel to keep them flying.  Yet, naval aviation was hardly ready to fight the global war that was coming.