After World War I, a more satisfactory (although still clumsy) solution had been found, in which catapults were mounted onto battleships, cruisers and seaplane tenders, used to launch scout planes; these floatplanes or small flying boats would land on water, and then be winched back onto the ships by cranes. read more
ATC lost contact with his plane and the plane began to circle. Fighter Jets were sent up to investigate. The windows were fogged/iced over consistent with loss of pressure. The plane eventually ran out of fuel and descended and landed top up, intact in the Gulf of Mexico in one piece. It sank in in 1500+ feet of water. There were zero survivors. read more
In World War II, aircraft carriers were not the only ships to launch and recover aircraft. Cruisers and battleships each carried a few small floatplanes. Most were Curtis SOC Seagulls or Vought OS2U Kingfishers. Curtis SO3C Seamews and SC Seahawks also saw some use in the war. Battleships usually carried four. read more