During exercises, USS Augusta steamed with ships from other navies. I had been told that this was an image of USS Langley, our first aircraft carrier. I have since discovered (in a 1931 issue of Jane's) that this is HMS Eagle, a British carrier. The Langley had no island superstructure, and that of Eagle is quite distinctive. By the time the war started, the Langley, which was originally built as a collier, had been converted from an aircraft carrier into a seaplane tender. HMS Eagle was sunk in the Mediterranean by a German submarine while escorting a convoy to the beseiged island of Malta.
A British Aircraft Carrier
The Augusta carried four scout seaplanes which could be launched from catapults amidships. The planes would land in the water next to the ship, and be lifted aboard by cranes. Judging by the number of picture pairs like the following which my father had, landing in the water was not an easy task.
Catapult Launched Seaplane
Submerged Seaplane