A U.S. Navy fighter aircraft sits at the edge of an escort carrier's flight deck, engine running, as a deck crewman stands nearby. Escort carriers (CVEs) like this one served as mobile airfields in the Pacific, providing air cover for convoys, amphibious landings, and anti-submarine patrols. In the distance, a second escort carrier steams on the horizon, part of the task group formation these small but versatile ships typically operated in during World War II. Project: 218490