The Chinese cargo ship can return the CAM ships to sea.

"China’s drone launching cargo ship concept. (Chinese internet)" (TWZ)

“CAM ships were World War II–era British merchant ships used in convoys as a stopgap until sufficient escort carriers became available. CAM ship is an acronym for catapult aircraft merchant ship” (Wikipedia, CAM ship). CAM ships launched Hurricane fighters from a catapult. Those Hurricanes were used to shoot down long-range Focke-Wulf Fw-200 “Condor” aircraft, which the Germans used to track convoys for U-boats. The Hurricane was unable to land on the deck of the CAM-ship. The use of that aircraft meant that the Hurricane must land on water. 

The Hurricane was lost, but it could shoot down FW-200, and that was a pretty good exchange. The Germans. Did not have. Very many Fw-200 aircraft. The total production number of Fw-200 “Condors” was 276. And they were manufactured between 1937 and 1944. The purpose of the Fw-200 was to search and locate convoys. From the Atlantic. They had a 1000 kg bomb load. But. Those aircraft needed their bomb bays for extra fuel if they patrolled far from the coasts. And later. Those aircraft. Equipped with anti-ship missiles. 

Fw-200 "Condor"

“A maritime-configured Fw-200 could carry a 1,000-kilogram (2,200 lb) bomb load or mines to use against shipping, and it was claimed that from June 1940 to February 1941, they sank 331,122 tonnes (365,000 tons) of shipping despite being furnished with a rather crude bombsight. These attacks were typically carried out at extremely low altitude in order to "bracket" the target ship with three bombs; this almost guaranteed a hit. Winston Churchill called the Fw 200 the "Scourge of the Atlantic" during the Battle of the Atlantic due to its contribution to the heavy Allied shipping losses.” (Wikipedia, Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor)

The CAM ships and escort aircraft carriers used against those Condors. And in some modern warfare scenarios, the VTOL aircraft. Those that operate from merchant ships can be used to destroy. The large-size. Maritime patrolling aircraft like Tu-95 “Bear”. Those multi-role aircraft with anti-submarine capacity are good targets for jet fighters. 

"A Hurricane IA before launch during trials at Greenock, in 1941" (Wikipedia, CAM ship)

And those aircraft couldn’t operate far away in the Atlantic without fear of being shot down. The fighter escorts couldn’t protect those aircraft in the middle of the Atlantic. And finally, escort carriers and their fighters swept maritime-patrolling Fw-200 Condors away from the skies. 

Those long-range four-engine aircraft played a vital role. For locating convoys to U-boats. After WWII, there was a plan. To equip CAM ships with remote-controlled kamikaze drones. Those drones would fly to the target. Using the radio-control and TV-camera. Which helps. Operators to aim the system. To the target ships or other targets. The Japanese Kamikaze pilots gave inspiration for those. 

Remotely-controlled kamikaze drones that could be aircraft filled with explosives. There is suspicion that the famous Flight-19. A group of 5 TBM-3 Avenger torpedo planes was lost in 1945 after WWII in the Bermuda Triangle. Were. Those kinds of remotely controlled kamikaze drones. The remotely controlled kamikaze drone can carry a far heavier explosive load than regular cannons can deliver. 

A closer look at the catapult ‘train’ created on the edge of the deck. (Chinese internet) (TWZ)

But then to modern systems. When. We look at. The Chinese merchant ship. Which is equipped. With catapults and maybe “Kalibr”-type missiles, that system can be deadly. That magnetic track can launch drones into one-way trips. And that means the system can use kamikaze-capable drones to track targets. And then the ship shoots those Kalibr missiles from container launchers. When those kamikaze-drones used their fuel. They can attack their targets. Another thing is that. Those drones that the ship launches can land on the sea, and there the recovery system can collect them back onto the deck. 

Of that system. The recovery system can use submarine drones or helicopter drones. And combat swimmers who connect the drone to the hook. The ship can also launch drones that can dive. Under the sea and rise to the air. The underwater drone can also dive. To the bottom of the sea. And there it can wait for orders to strike. The merchant ship can also be used. A container-based anti-satellite (ASAT) or anti-ballistic missile system (ABM). Those container missile systems allow those systems. To operate anywhere on the seas. 

Those merchant ships that use modern missiles are tools that can be far more deadly than ever before. When we think about merchant cruisers of WWII, none of them carried even homing torpedoes. Even if those ships use Shahed-131. Geran-1 or Shahed-238. Geran-3 type drones. They can enter. Close to the target. Those systems can make surprise attacks. 

When we think about kamikaze-drones. There is no limit to their size. Things like liquid natural gas (LNG) tankers or full-scale merchant ships can also act as surface drones. Those systems can detonate the LNG near coastal cities. Or the merchant ship can be loaded with conventional or nuclear explosives. In the worst case, those merchant ships can also be loaded with lithium batteries. And that can be used for the nuclear explosion that turns the 150 mt. Status-6 ”Poseidon” system into fireworks. 

https://www.twz.com/sea/chinese-cargo-ship-with-electromagnetic-catapult-to-launch-advanced-combat-drones-emerges

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAM_ship

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_19

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Fw_200_Condor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hurricane

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poseidon_(unmanned_underwater_vehicle)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahed_131

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahed_drones#Shahed_238

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-95