Hi Mjherman,
>Even disregarding any wind over the deck, if the Flattop was making any speed at all, our valiant Naval Aviator would have been immediately hit with a sudden "cross wind" once he cleared the hangar doors.
Well, it wasn't one of naval aviation's better ideas for sure :-) I've been told these catapults were seldom used and later removed.
I guess the advantage was supposed to be the capability to launch aircraft without running into the wind. Probably with a lighter load than usual, but still ...
Maybe a carry-over from the times when an aircraft carrier was considered an appendix to a fleet of artillery-carrying ships that didn't like to alter course for no good reason ;-)
Regards,
Henning (HoHun)