See the de Havilland Sea Vampire, the experimental fighter that ushered aircraft carriers into the jet age

• The Sea Vampire made history as the first jet-powered aircraft to land on a carrier in 1945.
• The UK and US navies developed fighter jets to operate aboard aircraft carriers after World War II.
• The de Havilland Vampire was adapted for naval use, becoming the aptly named Sea Vampire.

When the British experimental jet fighter touched down on the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ocean nearly eight decades ago, it wasn’t just a historic landing — it was a giant leap in naval aviation.

Aircraft carriers carrying propeller planes proved to be one of the most valuable sea-based assets in World War II. After the war ended, the two largest navies at the time — the UK Royal Navy and the US Navy — fast-tracked carrier testing for the jets revolutionizing air forces.

Some land-based fighter jets were redesigned to achieve that purpose — for the Royal Navy, it was the de Havilland Vampire, the second jet-powered aircraft to be produced and flown by Britain.

The Royal Navy modified the Vampire to make the aircraft’s design more fitted for sea trials, aptly naming the naval variant the de Havilland Sea Vampire.

On December 3, 1945, the Sea Vampire successfully landed and took off from the flight deck of the HMS Ocean, becoming the first jet aircraft in history to do so, greatly expanding the combat range and speed of the carrier squadrons.