Originally Posted by
SASless
Eval....you omitted first C-130 takeoff and landing, first Astronauts returning from walking on the Moon, first nuclear powered carrier, and a few such minor firsts for our side with only 15 of them operational at a time.
Why the USN lagged behind the RN in Carrier developments is a story that needs telling.
Why it was so long for the Navy to figure out the advantages of an angled flight deck would be a good start.
So far as the birth of the angled deck is concerned, a pretty good starting point can be found at
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...MPBELL&f=false and scrolling down to page 228, coupled with letter from the US Secretary of the Navy to
Rear Admiral Dennis Royle Farquharson Cambell, C.B., D.S.C., R.N.(Retired) on the occasion of his 80th birthday - a very nice touch.
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/ar...iation-355046/ is also relevant to SASless's post, and also helpfully credits Rear Admiral Nicholas Goodhart with inventing the mirror landing sight.
Jack