Re: A very short history of RN carriers!
Well if you limit it to RN ships Jeff, I believe you are correct. USS Pennsylvania (later renamed Pittsburg) had a deck installed aft at Mare Island Navy Yard in 1911, and Eugene Ely landed a plane on deck, the took off from the same deck after they turned the aircraft around. I think Pennsylvania was motionless at the time, so it was more of a stunt in my estimation that a validating of an operational concept.
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