November is a historic month for aircraft carriers. A little more than a decade after the Wright brothers took flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the U.S. Navy successfully integrated flight into its operations. On November 14, 1910, Eugene Ely launched the first aircraft from the deck of the USS Birmingham in Norfolk, Virginia, and marked the beginning of naval aviation. Five years later, on November 5, 1915, Cpt. Henry C. Mustin made the first catapult launch from a ship.
That spirit of innovation and drive to advance new technologies to enhance carrier capabilities has persisted since that first aircraft launch more than 100 years ago. It is the reason Aircraft Carrier Month is observed each November.
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