Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:34:40-2:35:24

Hydraulic aircraft catapults before steam

Hydraulic winches powered shipboard aircraft catapults before steam systems took over the work of launching heavier aircraft.

Aircraft CatapultsHydraulicsNaval AviationNaval TechnologyShipboard Aviation
Watch at this timeFull video guide
Question

What powered shipboard aircraft catapults before steam systems were introduced?

Short answer

A hydraulic winch system powered the earlier catapults.

Notes

Before steam catapults, a hydraulic winch system supplied the launch force. The discussion looks for a Type H Mark VIII illustration to make the machinery clearer. Stored hydraulic force was converted into the launch stroke rather than relying on an elastic launcher. This identifies the pre-steam machinery found in descriptions of shipboard aviation.