Unending Seige

Fleet Air Arm

• Previous page of section
• 1: Page 1 of section
• Next page of section

During the First World War naval aircraft were used for bombing enemy submarines - at which they proved ineffectual - and carrying out surveillance of coastal military activity. On the coasts of France some naval aircraft would on occasion work for the armies. The first aircraft carriers consisted of barges towed by ships. Platforms would soon be constructed on existing vessels. Various kinds of tackle were used for stopping planes on landing but their safety left much to be desired: There would be complaints about the many incidents of men falling into the sea. An Allied fleet air arm formation would be the first to conduct strategic bombing - that is, the flight of a number of planes in formation carrying bombs to an objective to be destroyed.