Did you "capture" your drones or were you still on the deck? I've lost drones in a similar way by not “porpoising” as Babalonian talks about. You have to get a certain distance away and above your drones for them to capture the lead bomber.
But don't feel bad... I lost a set of drones in an aborted take off. I got the lead stopped before the end of the runway but was forced to sit and watch the drones take off and fly a few seconds before they exploded.
