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Blessed mother of accelaration, dont fail me now....An F6F-3 Hellcat of Fighting Squadron (VF) 15 launches from the hangar deck catapult of USS Hornet (CV-12) during training in Chesapeake Bay, 12 February 1944.
The early Essex-class carriers had been built with a hangar-level catapult, called the HIVA catapult (actually, H-4A) that shot planes out of the starboard forward hangar deck. Since the aircraft could not benefit from the ship steaming into the wind, these catapults were deemed unpractical, and replaced with a second flight deck catapult. They were removed during refits in 1944 because they didn't get a lot of use. Hornet was the only carrier to keep her HIVA hangar-deck catapult until the end of the war.
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I really admire those pilots landing those big airplanes back onto those short flight decks.I really admire those pilots flying those big airplanes off those short flight decks.
I'm sure it was over here somewhere.View attachment 632791
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