Six WWII Essex class aircraft carriers had a unique ability to launch an airplane sideways, and it was often a nightmare for the pilots.
But when a WWII aircraft carrier’s straight deck flattop was a chaotic mess or undergoing recovery operations, how do you go about rapidly launching emergency scout aircraft to keep an eye on the enemy?
WWII aircraft carrier engineers designed a catapult that ran across the beam of the ship. It was installed in the hangar bay, with big doors on each side. This way, a scout plane or two could be quickly launched when the top deck was fouled.
0:00 Intro
0:50 Why the need for a hangar deck catapult?
1:37 Which carriers had a hangar deck catapult?
2:16 How did the hangar catapult work?
2:50 Problems with this catapult design
3:19 What happened to the catapults?
Footage appearing in this video obtained from....
The US National Archives: https://www.archives.gov
20th Century Studios: https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER UNDER SECTION 107 OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT OF 1976, ALLOWANCE IS MADE FOR “FAIR USE” FOR PURPOSES SUCH AS CRITICISM, COMMENT, NEWS REPORTING, TEACHING, SCHOLARSHIP, EDUCATION AND RESEARCH. FAIR USE IS A USE PERMITTED BY COPYRIGHT STATUTE THAT MIGHT OTHERWISE BE INFRINGING.
Screen captures and motion clips used in this video are protected by the Fair Use Law, section 107 used for commentary, criticism, news reporting or education for transformative use.
https://www.copyright.gov/fairuse/mo...