Originally posted by MiloMorai
The Americans had some carriers with hanger deck cats. They were finally removed because they were not worth the hassle. A/c could be launched quicker from the deck.
Virtually all USN carriers had flight deck catapults, including the small CVEs. This allowed for launching from full decks. After the first 15 to 20 aircraft had been launched via the bow cat, the balance would deck run off.
Here's an example of the kind of utility catapults provided US carriers. Immediately after fields were secured on Saipan, CVEs catapulted off several squadrons of P-47Ds. That same afternoon, those P-47s were flying Combat Air Patrols and close support to the ground forces.
As to the Graf Zeppelin, it was widely regarded as a "white elephant". It was consuming resources and promised little in return.
A carrier's purpose is to be a mobile airfield and to project power. Inasmuch as the GZ's airwing was no larger than that aboard an American light carrier (Independence class), its effectiveness would be limited. Power projection wasn't much.
Germany still faced the same problem it had in WWI; limited access to the open ocean. There's no value in a coastal carrier...
Venturing out into the open seas meant dealing with the Royal Navy, and that problem, not withstanding the pie-in-the-sky analysis of some here, would be suicidal. The fact that the GZ would not be ready for combat until well into 1942 is generally overlooked in these arguments. Germany was a rank novice at carrier operations, and building a viable, trained air wing would take many months. Even then, they would still have to gain combat experience to expose weaknesses in the ship, aircraft, training and operations. Trust me, there would be many deficiencies needing to be addressed. Moreover, the aircraft slated for use were simply adaptations of land planes. Germany had no aircraft designed specifically for carrier ops. As Britain discovered with the Seafire, this assures a higher accident rate, plus the unsolved issue of limited range.
Another problem facing the the GZ was that by 1942, the USS Wasp and USS Ranger were operating in the Atlantic. Also, do not forget about Bomber Command. Think of hordes of torpedo carrying Beaufighters and Mosquitos, backed by swarms of medium and heavy bombers. A dozen 109s would be overwhelmed in short order. I haven't even mentioned FAA carriers, as well as the American CVs and their very potent air wings.
History shows that the Graf Zeppelin could not operate beyond the range of land-based air cover with any expectation of survival. Germany realized that and cancelled the project. Germany was not going to risk the major portion of its surface fleet to provide escort in the open ocean. While submarines could be placed to screen in advance, their very limited speed and the need to remain submerged during daylight mean't that U-boat protection would require the CV and her destroyer escort to reduce speed. Submarines can do nothing to protect the GZ from air attack, beyond picket duty.
My regards,
Widewing
