Yes, F4s would have been nice - and Gannets - but we were operating with the deck pitching 2 degrees and more a lot of the time and I believe that "normal" carrier-borne aircraft pull stumps at about 1/2 degree of pitch. OK, biigger ships might have been a little less prone to pitch but not that much.
A face full of water off the front is not a nice moment, nor is a view of the Admiral's cabin scuttle on short finals!
Mog