Could disguised German seaplane carriers help U-boat wolf packs?

Would seaplane support have helped wolf packs find targets early in the war, and could the floatplanes also carry torpedoes?

Reconnaissance is the stronger proposed role, especially once wolf packs reached useful strength in 1941. Disguised merchant-style carriers could launch and recover scouts, while torpedoes would add weight and make floatplane operation more demanding.

The proposed ship would resemble a merchantman until panels or coverings opened to expose its catapults. A recovery mat and stern crane would retrieve aircraft quickly and place them at the back of an internal queue. A travelway like the one planned for Graf Zeppelin could hold perhaps three to six aircraft and support repeated reconnaissance flights. The disguise would aim to permit visits to neutral ports and avoid inspection, with Altmark's passage through much of Norway offered as a precedent. The proposal becomes more threatening in 1941, when wolf packs would have enough submarines to exploit wider aerial searches. In 1939-40, submarine numbers are judged too small for the full range of military and economic warfare tasks. Aircraft such as the Heinkel He 115 could carry torpedoes, but the extra weight would complicate operations and increase the need for smoother water. Scouting is therefore the preferred use in this counterfactual.