Do NOT underestimate the Brits when it comes to the world of carrier aviation. They were the first in carrier aviation. The Royal Navy converted the battle cruiser HMS Furious to carry and launch aircraft (1917); the RN commissioned the world's first dedicated aircraft carrier, HMS Argus, in 1918; the RN installed flight deck armor (1936), but it did not appear in the US Navy until the USS Midway (CV-41) of 1945. The RN developed major aids to naval aviation safety including the mirror landing system on HMS Illustrious and HMS Indomitable in 1954; steam catapult on HMS Perseus in 1950; and angled (or canted) flight deck aboard HMS Centaur in 1954. The RN innovations of the MLS, angled deck, and steam catapult were aided in development in conjunction with the US Navy.
USS Antietam (CV-36) tested a rudimentary sponson for angled deck operations in 1952 and those tests were shared by both navies before HMS Triumph's conversion. Angled deck conversions of USS Essex (CV-9) and USS Midway (CV-41) were approved in 1955. USS Forrestal (CV-59) was the first carrier built with an angled flight deck in 1955.
The Mirror Landing Systems and steam catapults began installation aboard USS Oriskany (CV-34), Midway-class carriers, USS Forrestal (CV-59) and USS Saratoga (CV-60) beginning in 1955.