Reeves turns war-game ideas into deck practice

Joseph Reeves turned much of Sims's theory into practical carrier work. Aboard USS Langley, Reeves confronted the gap between what wargaming said carriers should do and what an early converted collier, first-generation aircraft, and immature procedures could actually deliver. He worked on sortie rate and the interval between takeoffs because rapid launch was central to the first-strike doctrine. Aircraft range remained a persistent limitation even though officers already understood the advantages of distance and mobility. Reeves treated each carrier and naval air station as a school where personnel had to learn the medium's limits before they could employ it effectively.