... Norfolk, February 2, 1942. To the amazement of the crew of the USS Hornet , two twin-engine B-25 the USAAF were loaded onto the flight deck of aircraft carriers, which immediately set sail for a training mission designed to test the feasibility of a takeoff at sea for these devices were never designed for that purpose.
Car to the Military Staff, many still doubt the validity even of such a concept of ordinary takeoff of a B-25 requires indeed a roll of over 500 meters, twice the total length of the flight deck of hornet ... and even much more, since the size of these devices is much higher than the elevators, it is impossible to get in the sheds during the crossing, which therefore means the park directly behind the bridge.
However, such a constraint is a natural effect of reducing even further the length actually available to the flight: indeed, when it finally takes off for Tokyo, le B-25 de tête disposera quant à lui de moins de 150 mètres de pont ! Pour autant, les deux tentatives de décollage opérées le lendemain se déroulent sans problème, car si son pont est bien plus court qu'une piste d'aérodrome, le Hornet, porte-avions le plus moderne de la Navy - il vient à peine d'entrer en service - peut y ajouter sa propre vitesse de déplacement - 50 à 60 kms/h - face au vent, ce qui, moyennant quelques précautions et un bon entraînement des pilotes, suffit pour le décollage des B-25.
Le concept maintenant validé, le Hornet peut revenir tranquillement à Norfolk, d'où il appareillera le 4 mars pour la West Coast of the United States and what will soon be his first combat mission of the war ...
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