In the days before GPS, how did planes find their way back to their aircraft carrier, especially since the carrier would not be where it was when they took off?
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You would typically have someone write down all the directions and speeds as you go along and then calculate your position. This does require accurate wind measurements which were often broadcasted by radio from one of the ships or nearby islands. For shorter trips of an hour or two from an aircraft carrier you could just assume the wind did not change. When you returned you would still not expect to find it directly but the fleet would often spread out a bit so you might spot a patrol aircraft, a destroyer screening the fleet or the wake of one of the ships. This was not easy work. You often needed a dedicated navigator in the airplane or at least in the formation as the task of both flying and navigating was too much. And even then pilots got lost from time to time. Even into the 70s pilots lost track of where their aircraft carrier were and had to ditch the aircraft due to a lack of fuel.
One improvement that came during WWII was the invention of directional beacon. This was first developed fully by the Germans to guide bombers to their targets. But they can be used by aircraft carriers as well to help their pilots find the way. However they are careful about doing this as it does not just help your lost pilots find their way home but is also used by enemy pilots to find you.
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