The Naval Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1920 provided for the conversion of the collier Jupiter,shown in this photo, into a ship specifically designed to launch and recover airplanes at sea - an aircraft carrier - later to be named Langley. The engineering plans for this conversion were modified in November and included catapults to be fitted on both the forward and after ends of the flying-off deck. The USS Langley was placed in commission at Norfolk, Virginia, on March 20, 1922, as the Navy's first aircraft carrier.

Credits - U.S. Navy Photo