Aircraft carrier question

[Ringo]

Yesterday, for me, was spent clambering about the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi Bay, and the experience generated some aircraft carrier related questions. Here’s one.

What’s the purpose of those little, downward slanting ramps on the leading edge of modern flat-deck aircraft carriers’ flight decks? Pulling up a few photos tonight, I confirmed that they’re completely absent on WWII era American carriers. They seem to have appeared with the advent of naval jets and the steam catapult, and they appear right at the end of the catapult’s run, extending the flight deck perhaps a couple or so yards, and being only about a yard wide.

Most modern carriers seem to have two side-by-side catapults, with two of these things extending off the deck in front of them. Some of the newer carriers, though, have staggered catapults, and only the most forward of the two will have one of these.

Since I don’t even know what they’re called, my googling has been for naught. My best guess was that they’re some sort of secondary jet blast deflector, but since the hurricane bow seems to be the norm for modern flat-deck carriers, I’m not convinced of that.

[Askance]

WAG - perhaps they help in preventing salt water or spray getting into the catapult mechanism?

[Berkut]

You talking about what this carrier has on the bow, but this one doesn’t? (on preview, it looks like you may have to cut and paste those links)

I wondered about that myself, and found the following post on a mailing list:

These were originally designed to carry the bow nets and recovery piece to catch the bridle wires as the ship catapulted or launched the aircraft into the air. For those of you who haven’t been watching this transition. For many years (since WW II times), the Naval aircraft usually has had at least two hooks located beneath the leading wing edge (or sometimes more toward the fuselage itself). These hooks connected to a cable (about 10-16 feet in length) which ran from the two hooks on the aircraft down toward the actual catapult “shuttle” itself. When the aircraft was catapulted down the deck and launched, this cable came off the catapult hooks on the aircraft and the shuttle, often thrown into the sea. These bow protrusions or stanchions were designed to catch these launching cables so they could be used over.

Since the 70’s (at least) most modern Naval aircraft have had the actual launch bar and connected pieces designed into the nose gear of the aircraft. It stays with the aircraft and there has been little need for the recovery net and area for the launch cable. One of the few aircraft left (until a few years ago which still needed such a cable for its catapult hooks) was the “STUF” and many of the older propeller driven COD aircraft which routinely serviced the fleet’s carriers. As this gear was eliminated, you’ll notice many shots show only one such bow protrusion. With the final retirement of all the older aircraft and with all carrier born aircraft now using the “nose tow” type of launching connection, these bow protrusions have been dropped off altogether.

[Berkut]

BTW, most of the pictures I’ve seen have the protrusions on the older carriers, but not on the new ones. I may have misunderstood what you are talking about.

[Padeye]

The last plane I saw in regular fleet service that used a launch bridle was the EA-3 Whale in the early '80s and AFAIK were in use up to the end of that decade. The piston engine C-1 Trader COD plan can use a launch bridle but the few times I saw them on the Constellation they took off with an unassisted deck run. That was probably the last piston engine plane to see service on US carriers. The propellor driven, but turbine engine, C-2 Greyhound and jet powered US-3 “Miss Piggy” COD planes use a modern launch bar on the nose gear strut.

[Berkut]

Does that quote I found sound right to you, Padeye?

[Ringo]

So, if I’m reading you guys right, the fixtures about which I inquire were intended to aid in the recovery of the catapult launch livery that only a few airplanes required? Did these ramps have a name?