I was stationed on Eisenhower from 92-95.
I spent about a month on the Ike during her shakedown (I think...it was in 1978) our squadron was sent there as attached airing.
While on that mini-deployment, our sister squadron (VA-72) lost a plane over the side on launch due to a catapult malfunction or incorrect setting.
We call that a “cold cat shot”. Basically, there is not enough power to launch the plane for some reason, and the plane leaves the flight deck and goes into the water.
In this case, the pilot ejected, and landed in the water right near the ship which came to a full stop.
The pilot landed in the water when the carrier stopped, we could see the pilot struggling with his parachute cords. A rescue swimmer from a helicopter dropped into the water immediately to help him, but could not disentangle him. The pilot’s head came out of the water, and would disappear, again and again.
The ship put a launch over the side, and they went to assist, but even with the launch there and a rescue swimmer in the water with him, they could not disentangle him, and he kept going under. Finally, after 45 minutes or so of this, they were able to drag his sodden, motionless body into the launch.
This all happened in full view of hundreds of us on the flight deck watching in growing horror.
The last I saw was when they wheeled him through the hangar bay on a gurney, doing CPR, but he was dead, and they could not save him.
They had a professional swimmer in the water, a helo overhead, and a launch with men, all trying frantically to pull him out of the water for nearly and hour, and failed.