Hampton Roads was home to the first US Navy aircraft carrier, USSLangley, converted from the collier Jupiter at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in 1922. Lexington-class conversions followed this flattop; however, the first keel-up aircraft carrier, USSRanger, was constructed at Newport News Shipbuilding. These new ships revolutionized naval warfare during World War II.

Thomas Heinrich, chair of the Department of History at Baruch College, City University of New York, is the author ofWarship Builders: An Industrial History Of U.S. Naval Shipbuilding, 1922-1945.

Come hear Heinrich and Quarstein discuss the development of aircraft carriers in Hampton Roads and the role area shipyards played in producing the fleet that defeated the Axis powers around the globe.