: By the end of the 1920s, the U.S. Navy had transitioned from a small detachment of seaplanes to a fleet featuring three fully operational carriers.

The introduction of carrier-based aviation provided fleets with critical air cover and scouting capabilities over areas unreachable by land-based planes, granting a massive tactical advantage.

: During this period, aircraft became faster and more durable, and the Navy established the Bureau of Aeronautics to oversee this rapid development. Tactical and Operational Evolution