Independent carrier catapults and single-point failures

Should a four-catapult carrier system allow one catapult fault to disable every launcher?

No. Each catapult should be an independent system so one failure does not stop all launches.

The question criticises a four-catapult arrangement in which a fault affecting one unit can bring down the whole system. Each catapult should have been capable of operating independently. The exchange is brief, but the engineering principle is clear: several launch tracks do not provide useful redundancy if they share a disabling failure mode. For a carrier, that distinction affects whether a machinery fault merely slows the sortie rate or stops fixed-wing launches altogether. Component count matters less than the resilience of the complete system.