Sea-based V-2 lift marks early era of naval ballistic missiles

On Sept. 6, 1947, the U.S. Navy launched a captured German V-2 rocket from the aircraft carrier USS Midway in a sea test (Operation Sandy); while the flight veered off course and reached only about 15,000 feet, it demonstrated that ships could serve as launch pads for long-range missiles and signaled a pivotal step in postwar missile development that would later contribute to spaceflight, driven by von Braun’s team.