The Central lntelligence Agency and Overhead Reconnaissance: The U-2 and OXCART Programs,
1954-1974
https://www.docdroid.com/xbtfrRa/the...-1954-1974-pdf (66Mb)
“...There was never another Agency U-2 mission from an aircraft carrier. Although the idea of using a floating airbase to avoid political sensitivity proved feasible, the cost did not. Aircraft carriers are enormously expensive to operate and require an entire flotilla of vessels to protect and service them. The movement of large numbers of big ships is difficult to conceal and cannot be hastily accomplished, while the deployment of a solitary U-2 to a remote airfield can take place
overnight.”