How do battleships recover float planes?

[goduranus]

Just been curious how they do it. Say if a battleship launches a spotter plane. By the time the plane runs out of fuel 4 hours later, the battleship would presumably still be chasing something, so it wouldn't be able to stop to pick up the plane. Would they detach a cruiser to pick up the plane? But cruiser would have its own plane it needs to recover, and wouldn't have a place to put it. I guess maybe the plane would ditch, then have a destroyer pick up the pilot?

Also anyone found any videos of warships actually picking up a floatplane from the sea?

[Guest]

They use a crane. It lifts it back onto the launch platform.

[Fishyfish]

With a crane. The spotter float plane after being launched would go faff about and do it's thing before flying back to the warship, land and taxi up along side where it would be scooped up with a crane. The ship could do it while underway and didn't have to stop and the plane wouldn't fly around until it's out of fuel. 

 

 

 

[LeBoiteux]

A crane lifting a seaplane back to the seaplane carrier after a sea landing (may 1914):

Edited October 26, 2019 by LeBoiteux