Why 1930s carrier aircraft lacked contra-rotating propellers

Were contra-rotating propellers tried on carrier aircraft during the 1930s?

No; they became useful only as wartime and postwar engines reached much higher power.

Practical contra-rotating propeller development came mainly during and after the Second World War. The arrangement can absorb high engine power efficiently, although the exchange also jokes about the noise. Carrier-aircraft engines of the 1930s had not yet reached the output that made this advantage worthwhile. Their absence reflects the state of engine development rather than a missed carrier-specific opportunity.