{"id":25033634,"date":"2026-09-27T10:24:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T08:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T22:43:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T20:43:11","slug":"cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/","title":{"rendered":"CAM Ships and the Hurricat: One-Way Fighters of the Atlantic Convoys"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color .15s}\n.mfsh-trigger:hover,.mfsh-trigger:focus-visible{background:#0F1720;color:#fff;outline:none}\n.mfsh-trigger svg{width:18px;height:18px;display:block;flex-shrink:0}\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-bottom{margin:8px 0 28px}\n.mfsh-meta{position:relative;padding-right:190px}\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-inmeta{position:absolute;right:0;bottom:0;margin:0;height:30px;padding:0 8.9px;font-size:13px}\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-inmeta svg{width:16px;height:16px}\n.mfsh-overlay{position:fixed;inset:0;background:rgba(15,23,32,.55);z-index:99999;display:flex;align-items:flex-end;justify-content:center;opacity:0;pointer-events:none;transition:opacity .2s}\n.mfsh-overlay.mfsh-open{opacity:1;pointer-events:auto}\n.mfsh-sheet{width:100%;max-width:520px;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;padding:18px 20px 28px;transform:translateY(24px);transition:transform .22s;box-shadow:0 12px 32px rgba(15,23,32,.25);font-family:inherit;max-height:92vh;overflow:auto;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch}\n.mfsh-overlay.mfsh-open .mfsh-sheet{transform:none}\n@media (min-width:640px){.mfsh-overlay{align-items:center}.mfsh-sheet{padding-bottom:20px}}\n.mfsh-head{display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:space-between;margin:0 0 14px}\n.mfsh-head strong{font-size:18px;font-weight:800;display:flex;align-items:center;gap:8px;line-height:1}\n.mfsh-head strong svg{width:18px;height:18px}\n.mfsh-close{background:none;border:0;padding:6px;margin:0;cursor:pointer;color:#0F1720;line-height:0;box-shadow:none}\n.mfsh-close svg{width:18px;height:18px}\n.mfsh-preview{display:grid;grid-template-columns:96px 1fr;gap:12px;border:1px solid #DCE3EE;background:#F5F7FB;padding:10px;margin:0 0 12px;align-items:center}\n.mfsh-preview img{width:96px;height:72px;object-fit:cover;display:block;margin:0}\n.mfsh-preview .mfsh-kicker{font-size:10px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.14em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5C91FF;margin:0 0 4px;line-height:1.2}\n.mfsh-preview .mfsh-title{font-size:14px;line-height:1.3;font-weight:700;margin:0;display:block}\n.mfsh-list{display:grid;margin:0;padding:0}\n.mfsh-item{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:14px;height:50px;width:100%;border:0;border-top:1px solid #DCE3EE;background:none;padding:0 4px;margin:0;text-align:left;font-family:inherit;font-size:15px;font-weight:600;color:#0F1720;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;line-height:1}\n.mfsh-item:hover,.mfsh-item:focus-visible{background:#F5F7FB;outline:none}\n.mfsh-item svg{width:20px;height:20px;color:#5C91FF;flex-shrink:0;display:block}\n.mfsh-item small{margin-left:auto;color:#5B6674;font-weight:500;font-size:12px}\n.mfsh-item.mfsh-done svg{color:#1E9E5A}\n.mfsh-toast{position:fixed;left:50%;bottom:32px;transform:translate(-50%,10px);background:#0F1720;color:#fff;padding:10px 16px;font-weight:700;font-size:13px;font-family:inherit;opacity:0;pointer-events:none;transition:opacity .2s,transform .2s;z-index:100000}\n.mfsh-toast.mfsh-show{opacity:1;transform:translate(-50%,0)}\n@media (prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.mfsh-overlay,.mfsh-sheet,.mfsh-toast,.mfsh-trigger{transition:none}}\n<\/style>\n<svg width=\"0\" height=\"0\" style=\"position:absolute\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-share\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.9\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"M12 3v12M8 7l4-4 4 4M5 12v8h14v-8\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-close\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"m5 5 14 14M19 5 5 19\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-wa\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M12 2a10 10 0 0 0-8.6 15.1L2 22l5.1-1.3A10 10 0 1 0 12 2Zm0 1.8a8.2 8.2 0 1 1-4.2 15.3l-.3-.2-3 .8.8-2.9-.2-.3A8.2 8.2 0 0 1 12 3.8Zm-3 4.4c-.2 0-.5 0-.8.4-.3.3-1 1-1 2.4s1 2.8 1.2 3c.1.2 2 3.2 5 4.4 2.5 1 3 .8 3.5.7.5 0 1.7-.7 2-1.4.2-.7.2-1.3.1-1.4l-.5-.3-2-1c-.3 0-.5-.1-.7.2l-.9 1.1c-.2.2-.3.2-.6.1-.3-.2-1.3-.5-2.4-1.5-.9-.8-1.5-1.8-1.7-2-.2-.4 0-.5.2-.7l.4-.5.3-.5v-.5l-.9-2.2c-.2-.5-.4-.5-.6-.5H9Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-x\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M17.8 3h3l-6.7 7.7L22 21h-6.2l-4.8-6.3L5.4 21h-3l7.2-8.2L2 3h6.3l4.4 5.8L17.8 3Zm-1.1 16.2h1.7L7.4 4.7H5.6l11.1 14.5Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-fb\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M13.5 22v-8h2.7l.4-3.2h-3.1V8.8c0-.9.3-1.6 1.6-1.6h1.7V4.4c-.3 0-1.3-.1-2.5-.1-2.5 0-4.1 1.5-4.1 4.2v2.3H7.4V14h2.8v8h3.3Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-li\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M6.5 8.5H3V21h3.5V8.5ZM4.8 3a2 2 0 1 0 0 4 2 2 0 0 0 0-4ZM21 13.4c0-3.4-1.8-5.2-4.5-5.2-1.6 0-2.7.8-3.2 1.7V8.5H9.9V21h3.4v-6.4c0-1.7.6-2.8 2.1-2.8 1.4 0 2 1 2 2.8V21H21v-7.6Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-rd\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M22 12.1a2.4 2.4 0 0 0-4.1-1.7 11.7 11.7 0 0 0-5.5-1.7l1-4.5 3.1.7a1.7 1.7 0 1 0 .2-1l-3.6-.8a.5.5 0 0 0-.6.4l-1.1 5.2a11.8 11.8 0 0 0-5.8 1.7A2.4 2.4 0 1 0 3 14.3v.5c0 3.4 4 6.2 9 6.2s9-2.8 9-6.2v-.5a2.4 2.4 0 0 0 1-2.2ZM7.5 13.8a1.7 1.7 0 1 1 3.4 0 1.7 1.7 0 0 1-3.4 0Zm8.9 4.5c-1.2 1.2-3.4 1.3-4.4 1.3s-3.3-.1-4.4-1.3a.5.5 0 0 1 .7-.7c.7.8 2.4 1 3.7 1s2.9-.2 3.7-1a.5.5 0 0 1 .7.7Zm-.6-2.8a1.7 1.7 0 1 1 0-3.4 1.7 1.7 0 0 1 0 3.4Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-tg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M21.9 4.6 18.7 19.9c-.2 1-.9 1.3-1.7.8l-4.9-3.6-2.3 2.3c-.3.3-.5.5-1 .5l.4-5 9-8.2c.4-.3-.1-.5-.6-.2L6.4 13.5 1.6 12c-1-.3-1.1-1 .2-1.5l18.8-7.2c.9-.3 1.6.2 1.3 1.3Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-mail\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" d=\"M3 6h18v12H3z\"\/><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" d=\"m3 7 9 6 9-6\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-link\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.9\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"M10 14a4 4 0 0 0 5.7 0l3-3a4 4 0 0 0-5.7-5.7l-1.5 1.5M14 10a4 4 0 0 0-5.7 0l-3 3a4 4 0 0 0 5.7 5.7l1.5-1.5\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-more\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><circle cx=\"5\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><circle cx=\"12\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><circle cx=\"19\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><\/symbol>\n<\/svg>\n<span class=\"mfsh-top-slot\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger\" data-mfsh-placement=\"top\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button><\/span>\n<script>\n(function(){\n  if (window.__mfsh) return; window.__mfsh = true;\n  var SECTION = 'afterburner';\n  function meta(p){ var m=document.querySelector('meta[property=\"'+p+'\"]'); return m ? m.getAttribute('content') : ''; }\n  function pageUrl(){ var c=document.querySelector('link[rel=\"canonical\"]'); return (c && c.href) || (location.origin + location.pathname); }\n  function pageTitle(){ var h=document.querySelector('h1.entry-title'); return (h && h.textContent.trim()) || meta('og:title') || document.title; }\n  function slug(){ return location.pathname.replace(\/\\\/+$\/,'').split('\/').pop() || 'home'; }\n  function kicker(){ var c=document.querySelector('.et_pb_title_container a[rel=\"category tag\"], .et_pb_title_container a[rel=\"category\"], a[rel=\"category tag\"]'); return 'Afterburner' + (c && c.textContent.trim() ? ' \u00b7 ' + c.textContent.trim() : ''); }\n  function shareUrl(ch, placement){ return pageUrl() + '?utm_source=share&utm_medium=' + ch + '&utm_campaign=' + SECTION + '&utm_content=sheet_' + placement; }\n  function track(ch, placement, extra){\n    window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];\n    var ev = { event:'share', share_channel:ch, share_variant:'sheet', share_placement:placement, page_section:SECTION, content_id:slug() };\n    if (extra) for (var k in extra) ev[k]=extra[k];\n    window.dataLayer.push(ev);\n  }\n  var CH = [\n    ['whatsapp','WhatsApp','mfsh-i-wa',''],\n    ['x','X','mfsh-i-x',''],\n    ['facebook','Facebook','mfsh-i-fb',''],\n    ['linkedin','LinkedIn','mfsh-i-li',''],\n    ['reddit','Reddit','mfsh-i-rd','r\/aviation, r\/WarplanePorn'],\n    ['telegram','Telegram','mfsh-i-tg',''],\n    ['email','Email','mfsh-i-mail',''],\n    ['copy','Copy link','mfsh-i-link',''],\n    ['native','More','mfsh-i-more','Instagram, Signal, AirDrop']\n  ];\n  var overlay, toastEl, toastT, placement = 'top';\n  function build(){\n    overlay = document.createElement('div'); overlay.className = 'mfsh-overlay'; overlay.setAttribute('role','dialog'); overlay.setAttribute('aria-modal','true'); overlay.setAttribute('aria-label','Share');\n    var img = meta('og:image');\n    var items = CH.filter(function(c){ return c[0] !== 'native' || !!navigator.share; }).map(function(c){\n      return '<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-item\" data-mfsh-ch=\"'+c[0]+'\"><svg><use href=\"#'+c[2]+'\"\/><\/svg>'+c[1]+(c[3]?'<small>'+c[3]+'<\/small>':'')+'<\/button>';\n    }).join('');\n    overlay.innerHTML = '<div class=\"mfsh-sheet\"><div class=\"mfsh-head\"><strong><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share<\/strong><button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-close\" aria-label=\"Close\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-close\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>'\n      + '<div class=\"mfsh-preview\">' + (img ? '<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"'+img+'\" alt=\"\">' : '<span><\/span>') + '<div><div class=\"mfsh-kicker\">'+kicker()+'<\/div><span class=\"mfsh-title\">'+pageTitle()+'<\/span><\/div><\/div>'\n      + '<div class=\"mfsh-list\">'+items+'<\/div><\/div>';\n    document.body.appendChild(overlay);\n    toastEl = document.createElement('div'); toastEl.className = 'mfsh-toast'; document.body.appendChild(toastEl);\n    overlay.addEventListener('click', function(e){\n      if (e.target === overlay || e.target.closest('.mfsh-close')) { close(); return; }\n      var b = e.target.closest('.mfsh-item'); if (b) act(b.getAttribute('data-mfsh-ch'), b);\n    });\n    document.addEventListener('keydown', function(e){ if (e.key === 'Escape') close(); });\n  }\n  function open(p){ placement = p || 'top'; if (!overlay) build(); overlay.classList.add('mfsh-open'); track('open', placement); }\n  function close(){ if (overlay) overlay.classList.remove('mfsh-open'); }\n  function toast(m){ toastEl.textContent = m; toastEl.classList.add('mfsh-show'); clearTimeout(toastT); toastT = setTimeout(function(){ toastEl.classList.remove('mfsh-show'); }, 1600); }\n  function act(ch, btn){\n    var url = shareUrl(ch, placement), t = pageTitle(), enc = encodeURIComponent;\n    if (ch === 'copy') {\n      var done = function(){ toast('Link copied'); btn.classList.add('mfsh-done'); setTimeout(function(){ btn.classList.remove('mfsh-done'); close(); }, 900); };\n      track(ch, placement);\n      if (navigator.clipboard && navigator.clipboard.writeText) navigator.clipboard.writeText(url).then(done, done); else done();\n      return;\n    }\n    if (ch === 'native') {\n      track(ch, placement, { share_result:'opened' });\n      navigator.share({ title:t, text:t, url:url }).then(function(){ track('native', placement, { share_result:'completed' }); close(); }).catch(function(){});\n      return;\n    }\n    var target = {\n      whatsapp: 'https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=' + enc(t + ' ' + url),\n      x:        'https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=' + enc(t) + '&url=' + enc(url) + '&via=MiGFlug',\n      facebook: 'https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=' + enc(url),\n      linkedin: 'https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=' + enc(url),\n      reddit:   'https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=' + enc(url) + '&title=' + enc(t),\n      telegram: 'https:\/\/t.me\/share\/url?url=' + enc(url) + '&text=' + enc(t),\n      email:    'mailto:?subject=' + enc(t) + '&body=' + enc('Thought you would like this, from Afterburner, MiGFlug\\'s magazine:\\n' + t + '\\n' + url)\n    }[ch];\n    track(ch, placement);\n    if (target) { if (ch === 'email') location.href = target; else window.open(target, '_blank', 'noopener,width=680,height=560'); }\n    close();\n  }\n  var mq = window.matchMedia('(min-width:981px)');\n  function place(){\n    var t = document.querySelector('.mfsh-trigger[data-mfsh-placement=\"top\"]'), slot = document.querySelector('.mfsh-top-slot');\n    var meta = [].slice.call(document.querySelectorAll('.et_pb_title_meta_container, .et_post_meta_wrapper .post-meta, .single .post-meta')).filter(function(m){ return m.offsetParent !== null; })[0];\n    if (!t || !slot) return;\n    if (meta && mq.matches) { meta.classList.add('mfsh-meta'); t.classList.add('mfsh-inmeta'); if (t.parentNode !== meta) meta.appendChild(t); var a = meta.querySelector('a'); if (a) { var pr = document.createElement('span'); pr.style.cssText = 'display:inline-block;width:0;height:0;vertical-align:baseline'; a.appendChild(pr); var base = pr.getBoundingClientRect().bottom; pr.remove(); var fs = parseFloat(getComputedStyle(a).fontSize) || 14, mb = meta.getBoundingClientRect().bottom; t.style.bottom = Math.max(0, mb - (base + fs * 0.12)) + 'px'; } }\n    else { t.classList.remove('mfsh-inmeta'); if (t.parentNode !== slot) slot.appendChild(t); }\n  }\n  if (document.readyState === 'loading') document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', place); else place(); window.addEventListener('load', place); if (document.fonts && document.fonts.ready) document.fonts.ready.then(place); window.addEventListener('resize', place);\n  if (mq.addEventListener) mq.addEventListener('change', place); else mq.addListener(place);\n  document.addEventListener('click', function(e){ var b = e.target.closest('.mfsh-trigger'); if (b) { e.preventDefault(); open(b.getAttribute('data-mfsh-placement') || 'top'); } });\n})();\n<\/script><!-- \/mfsh:top -->\n\r\n\r\n<p>Picture the job description. You sit strapped into a fighter perched on a rail over the bow of a cargo ship, somewhere in the North Atlantic. When an enemy bomber appears, rockets fire you off the front of the ship. You fight. And then, because there is nowhere to land, you bail out or ditch in the sea beside the convoy and hope a ship picks you up before the cold kills you.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>That was the reality for the pilots of the CAM ships, the Catapult Aircraft Merchant ships of 1941 to 1943. Each carried a single <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/hawker-hurricane\/\">Hawker Hurricane<\/a> with one purpose: to kill or drive off the long-range German bombers stalking Britain&#39;s convoys, at the price, almost always, of the aircraft itself.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f5f7;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:8px 0 28px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:17px\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px;line-height:1.7\"><li><strong>What:<\/strong> Merchant ships fitted with a rocket-powered catapult carrying one Hurricane fighter<\/li><li><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> Sea Hurricane IA, nicknamed the Hurricat or Catafighter<\/li><li><strong>Unit:<\/strong> RAF Merchant Ship Fighter Unit (MSFU), formed 5 May 1941 at RAF Speke, Liverpool<\/li><li><strong>Fleet:<\/strong> 35 CAM ships; 12 were sunk over 170 round-trip voyages<\/li><li><strong>Combat launches:<\/strong> 8 operational launches between November 1941 and July 1943<\/li><li><strong>Results:<\/strong> 8 German aircraft destroyed, 1 damaged, 3 driven off; 8 Hurricanes ditched, 1 pilot lost<\/li><li><strong>End:<\/strong> MSFU disbanded from June 1943; last unit gone on 7 September 1943<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Condor Problem<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>In 1940 and 1941 the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/fw-200-condor\/\">Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor<\/a> was a menace out of all proportion to its numbers. Flying from western France, the long-range four-engined aircraft could find convoys far out in the Atlantic, report their position to the U-boats, and bomb stragglers. It operated beyond the reach of any land-based British fighter, and there were not yet enough aircraft carriers to escort the convoys.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Royal Navy tried first with fighter catapult ships, commissioned naval vessels such as HMS Maplin. On 3 August 1941 Lieutenant Robert Everett was catapulted from Maplin while escorting convoy OG 17 and shot down a Condor, the first success for a catapult-launched Hurricane. Everett, remarkably, had won the Grand National steeplechase in 1929. He was picked up by a destroyer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;By the use of fighter aircraft mounted in ordinary merchant ships... we soon met this thrust.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Winston Churchill<\/strong> &mdash; on the answer to the Condor, as quoted by the Naval Historical Society of Australia<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Merchant Ships With a Sting<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The CAM ships took the idea further. They were ordinary merchant ships, sailing under the Red Ensign and carrying full cargoes, with a 75-foot rocket-fired catapult on the forecastle. The RAF formed the Merchant Ship Fighter Unit on 5 May 1941 at Speke near Liverpool under Wing Commander E.S. Moulton-Barrett. Each ship carried a small team: a pilot, a fitter, a rigger, a radio operator, a fighter direction officer and a seaman who looked after the catapult&#39;s electrics.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/hurricane-rocket-catapult-launch-cam-ship-1941.jpg\" alt=\"Hurricane launched by rocket catapult from a CAM ship\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A Hurricane blasts off the catapult of a CAM ship at Greenock during trials, trailing rocket exhaust. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Keeping a fighter serviceable on an open bow in the North Atlantic was its own battle. A <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/united-kingdom-royal-air-force\/\">Royal Air Force<\/a> maintenance report, quoted by the Naval Historical Society of Australia, described covers ripped off, airframes corroded and the electrics soaked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6dmNyts7f1w\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">A 1940 Royal Navy instructional film on the catapult ships and how their fighters were launched. Video: Editions Audioviseul BEULAH<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Eight Launches<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>For all the effort, CAM Hurricanes were launched in anger only eight times. The first came on 1 November 1941, when Flying Officer George Varley was fired off SS Empire Foam in convoy HX 156 and drove away a Condor. On 26 April 1942 Flying Officer John Kendal launched from SS Empire Morn with the Arctic convoy QP 12. He shot down a Junkers Ju 88, but his parachute opened too late when he baled out, and he died of his injuries. He was the only CAM pilot lost.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;The Hurricane was seen to dive perpendicularly into the sea, followed immediately by Kendal, his parachute opening some 50 feet before he reached the water.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>The fighter direction officer aboard Empire Morn<\/strong> &mdash; describing John Kendal&#39;s last moments, as quoted by the Naval Historical Society of Australia<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The best single result came on 18 September 1942 with convoy PQ 18 to Russia. Flying Officer A.H. &quot;Jackie&quot; Burr launched from Empire Morn, was credited with two Heinkel He 111s, and then, instead of ditching, flew on to land at Keg Ostrov near Archangel. The final launches came on 28 July 1943, when Hurricanes from SS Empire Darwin and MV Empire Tide, sailing with the homeward convoy SL 133, each shot down a Condor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/cam-ship-hurricat-heavy-seas-atlantic-convoy.jpg\" alt=\"Heavy seas breaking over a CAM ship Hurricane\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Heavy seas breaking over the catapult Hurricane of a CAM ship, seen from the bridge. The aircraft lived exposed on the bow for the whole voyage. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Replaced by Carriers<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The eight launches produced eight German aircraft destroyed: three Condors, four He 111s and a Ju 88, with one more damaged and three driven off. Eight Hurricanes went into the sea. Counts vary slightly between sources depending on how shared and probable claims are treated, but the pattern is clear: almost every launch cost an aircraft, and nearly every one achieved something.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The real value may have been the threat. A Condor crew could no longer circle a convoy at leisure if one of the ships might fire a fighter at it. As escort carriers arrived in numbers, CAM sailings on the North American and Arctic routes ended in August 1942. Fighter Command ordered the MSFU disbanded from 8 June 1943, and the last unit closed on 7 September 1943. Twelve of the 35 CAM ships had been sunk.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/f2Ol6vkP1Vc\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">Period footage of a Sea Hurricane IA being catapulted from a merchant ship. Video: Aviation videos archives<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>It was an improvisation, and everyone involved knew it. But for two years it gave convoys something they had lacked entirely: a fighter of their own, far out at sea, flown by volunteers who launched knowing they would not be landing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9r1jfQyniyw\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">A documentary on the CAM ships and the Condor threat. Video: British Naval History<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: Wikipedia (CAM ship, Fighter catapult ship), Naval Historical Society of Australia<\/em><\/p>\n\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What was a CAM ship?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">A CAM ship, or Catapult Aircraft Merchant ship, was a British merchant vessel fitted with a rocket-powered catapult carrying one Hawker Sea Hurricane fighter. Used from 1941 to 1943, CAM ships gave Atlantic and Arctic convoys protection against long-range German bombers such as the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What was a Hurricat?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Hurricat, or Catafighter, was the nickname for the Sea Hurricane IA fighters launched by catapult from CAM ships and fighter catapult ships. Because the ships had no deck to land on, the pilot had to bail out or ditch in the sea after each combat launch unless land was within range.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How did CAM ship pilots get back after a mission?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">CAM ship pilots could not land back on their ship. After the fight they bailed out or ditched beside the convoy and were picked up by an escort or merchant ship. Occasionally a pilot could reach land: on convoy PQ 18 in 1942, Flying Officer Jackie Burr flew on to land near Archangel.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How successful were the CAM ships?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">CAM ship Hurricanes were launched in combat eight times between November 1941 and July 1943. They destroyed eight German aircraft, three Fw 200 Condors, four He 111s and a Ju 88, damaged one and drove off three more. Eight Hurricanes were lost in the sea and one pilot, John Kendal, was killed.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What was the first kill by a catapult-launched Hurricane?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The first kill by a catapult-launched Hurricane came on 3 August 1941, when Lieutenant Robert Everett launched from the fighter catapult ship HMS Maplin, escorting convoy OG 17, and shot down a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor. He was recovered by a destroyer.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why did the CAM ships stop operating?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">CAM ships were a stopgap until escort carriers were available in numbers. CAM sailings on the North American and Arctic routes ended in August 1942, and the RAF Merchant Ship Fighter Unit was disbanded from June 1943, with the last unit closing on 7 September 1943.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was a CAM ship?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"A CAM ship, or Catapult Aircraft Merchant ship, was a British merchant vessel fitted with a rocket-powered catapult carrying one Hawker Sea Hurricane fighter. Used from 1941 to 1943, CAM ships gave Atlantic and Arctic convoys protection against long-range German bombers such as the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was a Hurricat?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Hurricat, or Catafighter, was the nickname for the Sea Hurricane IA fighters launched by catapult from CAM ships and fighter catapult ships. Because the ships had no deck to land on, the pilot had to bail out or ditch in the sea after each combat launch unless land was within range.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How did CAM ship pilots get back after a mission?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"CAM ship pilots could not land back on their ship. After the fight they bailed out or ditched beside the convoy and were picked up by an escort or merchant ship. Occasionally a pilot could reach land: on convoy PQ 18 in 1942, Flying Officer Jackie Burr flew on to land near Archangel.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How successful were the CAM ships?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"CAM ship Hurricanes were launched in combat eight times between November 1941 and July 1943. They destroyed eight German aircraft, three Fw 200 Condors, four He 111s and a Ju 88, damaged one and drove off three more. Eight Hurricanes were lost in the sea and one pilot, John Kendal, was killed.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was the first kill by a catapult-launched Hurricane?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The first kill by a catapult-launched Hurricane came on 3 August 1941, when Lieutenant Robert Everett launched from the fighter catapult ship HMS Maplin, escorting convoy OG 17, and shot down a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor. He was recovered by a destroyer.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why did the CAM ships stop operating?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"CAM ships were a stopgap until escort carriers were available in numbers. CAM sailings on the North American and Arctic routes ended in August 1942, and the RAF Merchant Ship Fighter Unit was disbanded from June 1943, with the last unit closing on 7 September 1943.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fw-200-condor-scourge-of-the-atlantic\/\">Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor: Scourge of the Atlantic<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/hms-nabob-canadian-crew-escort-carrier-torpedoed-1944\/\">HMS Nabob: The Canadian-Crewed Carrier That Took a Torpedo and Sailed Home<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/channel-dash-esmonde-swordfish-operation-cerberus-1942\/\">The Channel Dash: Six Swordfish Against a Battle Fleet<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 1941 Britain put rocket catapults and Hurricanes on merchant ships to fight the Fw 200 Condor. With no deck to land on, almost every launch ended with the fighter in the sea.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":25033215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25033634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>CAM Ships and the Hurricat: One-Way Convoy Fighters | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"CAM ships fired Hurricat fighters off merchant ships against the Fw 200 Condor in 1941-43. With no deck to land on, pilots usually ended in the sea.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CAM Ships and the Hurricat: One-Way Convoy Fighters | MiGFlug\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"CAM ships fired Hurricat fighters off merchant ships against the Fw 200 Condor in 1941-43. With no deck to land on, pilots usually ended in the sea.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-27T08:24:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-02T20:43:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/hawker-hurricane-on-cam-ship-catapult-sdasm.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"764\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3\"},\"headline\":\"CAM Ships and the Hurricat: One-Way Fighters of the Atlantic Convoys\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-27T08:24:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-02T20:43:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1339,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/hawker-hurricane-on-cam-ship-catapult-sdasm.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"History &amp; Legends\",\"Military Aviation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\\\/\",\"name\":\"CAM Ships and the Hurricat: One-Way Convoy Fighters | MiGFlug\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/hawker-hurricane-on-cam-ship-catapult-sdasm.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-27T08:24:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-02T20:43:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"CAM ships fired Hurricat fighters off merchant ships against the Fw 200 Condor in 1941-43. With no deck to land on, pilots usually ended in the sea.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/hawker-hurricane-on-cam-ship-catapult-sdasm.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/hawker-hurricane-on-cam-ship-catapult-sdasm.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":764,\"caption\":\"Hawker Hurricane on a CAM ship catapult\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"CAM Ships and the Hurricat: One-Way Fighters of the Atlantic Convoys\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3\",\"name\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\"},\"description\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy covers French and European aerospace, from Rafale and Airbus to NATO strategy and the continent\u2019s defence industry.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/fr\\\/author\\\/fortuneleroy\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"CAM Ships and the Hurricat: One-Way Convoy Fighters | MiGFlug","description":"CAM ships fired Hurricat fighters off merchant ships against the Fw 200 Condor in 1941-43. With no deck to land on, pilots usually ended in the sea.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/","og_locale":"fr_FR","og_type":"article","og_title":"CAM Ships and the Hurricat: One-Way Convoy Fighters | MiGFlug","og_description":"CAM ships fired Hurricat fighters off merchant ships against the Fw 200 Condor in 1941-43. With no deck to land on, pilots usually ended in the sea.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-09-27T08:24:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-10-02T20:43:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":764,"url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/hawker-hurricane-on-cam-ship-catapult-sdasm.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/"},"author":{"name":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3"},"headline":"CAM Ships and the Hurricat: One-Way Fighters of the Atlantic Convoys","datePublished":"2026-09-27T08:24:18+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-02T20:43:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/"},"wordCount":1339,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/hawker-hurricane-on-cam-ship-catapult-sdasm.jpg","articleSection":["History &amp; Legends","Military Aviation"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/","name":"CAM Ships and the Hurricat: One-Way Convoy Fighters | MiGFlug","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/hawker-hurricane-on-cam-ship-catapult-sdasm.jpg","datePublished":"2026-09-27T08:24:18+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-02T20:43:11+00:00","description":"CAM ships fired Hurricat fighters off merchant ships against the Fw 200 Condor in 1941-43. With no deck to land on, pilots usually ended in the sea.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/hawker-hurricane-on-cam-ship-catapult-sdasm.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/hawker-hurricane-on-cam-ship-catapult-sdasm.jpg","width":1280,"height":764,"caption":"Hawker Hurricane on a CAM ship catapult"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/cam-ships-hurricat-catapult-hurricane-convoys-1941-1943\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"CAM Ships and the Hurricat: One-Way Fighters of the Atlantic Convoys"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","name":"Afterburner - Le magazine de MiGFlug","description":"pour ceux qui s&#039;int\u00e9ressent au pilotage d&#039;avions militaires et aux sujets li\u00e9s \u00e0 l&#039;aviation","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3","name":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy"},"description":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy couvre l&#039;a\u00e9rospatiale fran\u00e7aise et europ\u00e9enne, du Rafale et d&#039;Airbus \u00e0 la strat\u00e9gie de l&#039;OTAN et \u00e0 l&#039;industrie de d\u00e9fense du continent.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/author\/fortuneleroy\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25033634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25033634"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25033634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26212748,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25033634\/revisions\/26212748"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25033215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25033634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25033634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25033634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}