Question: how many aircraft carriers did the united states build during world war ii
Answer: By war 's end in 1945 , the United States Navy had added nearly 1,200 major combatant ships , including twenty - seven aircraft carriers and eight `` fast '' battleships , and ten prewar `` old '' battleships totaling over 70 % of the world 's total numbers and total tonnage of naval vessels of 1,000 tons or greater .