US Navy
There are at least 42 commissioned aircraft carriers in service with at least 14 navies around the world.
Aircraft carriers come in many shapes and sizes: some carry large aircraft fleets of fighters and electronic attack planes, some only carry helicopters; some are nuclear powered, some are fueled by gas; some have vertical take-off and landing, some have short take-off and vertical landing, some have catapult assisted take-off and arrested recovery, where a tail hook snags a cable to catch the plane on landing.
Whatever the specifications, a carrier is not much use to any navy if it's breaking down or not able to launch the full range of combat sorties it was built to perform.
So we put together a list of seven of the worst commissioned flattops, which have a history of breaking down or limitations on the missions that these ships were built to perform.
Check them out below: China's Liaoning (16).
Stringer via Reuters
Commissioned in 2012, the Liaoning is a Kiev-class aircraft carrier that Beijing tricked Ukraine into selling by sending a Hong Kong businessman to purchase it under the guise of it being used as a casino in 1998.
The Liaoning was later commissioned in 2012, becoming China's first aircraft carrier.
But just a few years later, the Liaoning was spewing steam and losing power, and in at least one incident, a steam explosion blew out the ship's electrical power system.
Since then, the Liaoning has been rather unreliable, like most Soviet Kiev-class carriers, and used mostly as a training carrier.
Russia's Admiral Kuznetsov (063).
Reuters
The Kuznetsov is a Kiev-class carrier that is currently undergoing repairs and won't be ready for service until 2021.
In October 2016, the Kuznetsov was sailing to Syria through the English Channel on a combat deployment when it was spotted belching thick clouds of black smoke.
"The main problem with the ship is that is has a very problematic propulsion system," Dmitry Gorenburg, a senior research scientist at the Center for Naval Analyses, previously told Business Insider. "It's just unreliable."
Commissioned in 1995, the Kuznetsov experienced a serious breakdown in 1996, and wasn't available again until 1998.
The National Interest recently even placed the Kuznetsov on its list of 5 worst aircraft carriers ever built.
Take a tour of the Kuznetsov here.
Thailand's Chakri Naruebet (911).
US Navy
Commissioned in 1997, the Chakri Naruebet was once a fleet carrier, but was later relegated to a helicopter carrier in 2006, mostly because of budgetary issues.
Although the Chakri Naruebet was used after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsnuami and in rescue operations after flooding in Thailand in 2010 and 2011, the carrier has mostly resided in port for much of its 20-year career with the Thai Navy.
So while the Chakri Naruebet has not necessarily suffered from design flaws or repeated maintenance issues, we included it on the list because it's simply not being used for what it was supposed to.
Read more about the Chakri Naruebet here.
See the rest of the story at Business InsiderSee Also: SEE ALSO: We toured the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, which can house 75 aircraft
SEE ALSO: Step aboard the Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's aircraft carrier that's considered one of the worst in the world
SEE ALSO: China's newest aircraft carrier is actually very outdated — but its next one should worry the US Navy a lot |