CAM ship

CAM ships were World War II–era British merchant ships used in convoys as a stop-gap until sufficient escort carriers became available. CAM ship is an acronym for catapult aircraft merchant ship.

The ships carried a rocket-propelled catapult to launch a Hawker Hurricane, dubbed a "Hurricat" or "Catafighter" to attack Luftwaffe aircraft. Normally the Hurricane fighter would be lost when the pilot bailed out or ditched in the ocean near the convoy. CAM ships continued to carry their normal cargoes after conversion.

The concept was developed and tested by the five fighter catapult ships, commissioned as warships and commanded and crewed by the Royal Navy – the CAM ships were ordinary merchant vessels, commanded and crewed by the Merchant Navy.


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