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> You could actually make something that kind of sorta worked for an aircraft carrier by joining tens of thousands of small pontoons and support ships. In fict
by Animats 7mo ago
> You could actually make something that kind of sorta worked for an aircraft carrier by joining tens of thousands of small pontoons and support ships.
In fiction: "Tom Swift and his Ocean Airport" (1934) [1]
In reality, a floating pontoon airport, with over 10,000 pontoons, was built during WWII, as "Project Sock".[2] It worked OK in a protected bay. Once large planes could cross the Atlantic, and small carriers with small planes were built for convoy protection, there was no military need. Floating airports have been tried a few times since, but it's never been worth the trouble.
Prefabricated pontoons were a big thing in WWII. Used for bridges, barges, docks, etc.
Useful when you really need a temporary structure in a hurry, and aren't too concerned about
its long term lifespan.
Putting multiple transformers in series is quite possible, but
it's rarely done because it's less efficient than a larger transformer and takes up more space.
[1] https://www.tomswift.info/homepage/oceanair.html https://www.tomswift.info/homepage/oceanair.html
[2] https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2024/february/pieces-past https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2024/f...