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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Radio transmitters have existed as long as carrier aviation and radios-based navigation system too.
US carriers did use a system with a rotation radio transmitter tath sent a more code letter depending compass direction of the transmitter. It was a 30 degrees segment per letter and the antenna rotates twice per minute.
The carrier airplanes have receivers and by just listening to the Morse code letter they could determine in what compass direction it was located. They changed the letter in a specific direction every day so the enemy could not use it.
So a pilot could just listen to the radio and receive a Morse code H. If that letter today was for 210 to 240 degrees he would need to fly in the reciprocal direction of between 30 and 60 degrees. So fly in that compass direction you go towards the carrier.
https://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Knowledge_Base&file=print&kid=704&page=1
I would be quite surprised if modern carrier aircraft require GPS to fly back to the carrier. There has to be some backup system that can be used if the GPS system is destroyed during a war.
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