How A B-25 Landed On A Carrier

Everyone remembers the daring Doolittle Raid of WWII, where 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers took off from the deck of the USS Hornet to strike Japan. But that famous mission raises an interesting question: did a B-25 bomber ever actually land on an aircraft carrier?

An Unbelievable Experiment

As it turns out, yes—at least once.

According to Bob Kettenheim, historian for the USS Shangri-La Association, there was an official test in 1944 involving the PBJ-1, the Navy version of the B-25. “The idea behind the PBJ, which was a very high-speed aircraft, was to be a forward strike plane capable of landing aboard the carrier,” Kettenheim explains. “Obviously, you wouldn’t carry as many as dive bombers or torpedo planes, but the idea was—will this work?”

And it did. On November 14, 1944, Rear Admiral L.B. Richardson from the Bureau of Aeronautics came aboard the USS Shangri-La to observe the experimental landings and takeoffs. The ship’s deck log confirms the test: a B-25 bomber successfully landed on the carrier, proving the concept was at least technically possible.

But Why Attempt This at All?

So why try landing a medium bomber on a relatively small carrier deck in the first place?

Kettenheim says the idea was strategic. The B-25 had a longer range and heavier payload than carrier-based fighters. It could be launched to strike enemy supply ships or high-value targets—and, ideally, return to land either at a forward base or even back on the carrier if needed.

“It was about proving flexibility,” he adds. “If they had to, these bombers could return to the fleet.”

While the B-25 never became a regular part of carrier aviation, this remarkable test showed the Navy was willing to push boundaries—and confirmed that, under the right conditions, even a bomber could catch a wire at sea.