The idea of creating a floating runway belongs to Americans. And this is not surprising. Major battles almost always take place far from the coasts of North America, and the US has always sought to control any military conflicts. In 1910, for the first time, an airplane took off from a ship. It was a light American cruiser Birmingham, on which a wooden platform of 25x7 meters was erected. After 5 minutes the aircraft, equipped with special floats, successfully landed on the water. The following year, an American officer safely performed the landing of an airplane on the artificially created enlarged deck of the cruiser. Conducting further research, in 1915 was developed catapult, necessary for the takeoff of the aircraft from the ship.