Shipboard P47!

This was new to me, catapulting P47 Thunderbolts from an aircraft carrier.
www.criticalpast.com/video/65675047538_P...rrier_Navy-personnel
Apparently P38, P40 and P47s destined for the pacific theatre were modified with 'strop' hooks for hydraulic catapult launching.

Hmm - they only just have flying speed as the sag off the end of the deck, and 20 degrees off the wind, too.
I don't imagine those undercarriage legs would take the stress of many launches, especially as the strop was fastened on close to the wheels!

Apparently the strop was attached to the U/C leg at the upper torque link but even so it must have created quite a bending load and the 'wrong' way too!
I assume they would have taken off quite 'light' as they were not far from land but it still needed a lot of flap.
I liked the 'side' wheel chock arrangement to position the plane accurately over the catapult.