It happened in Scapa Flow on HMS Furious in 1917.
“Furious was in the Flow that summer, and on 5 August Commander Edwin Dunning, flying a Sopwith Pup, managed to dodge the superstructure before a last-minute turn to windward and a triumphant touch-down on the flight deck where willing hands were waiting to hold the plane back once it was on the deck, there being no arrester-wires in those days.” (W. S. Hewison, This Great Harbour)
Naval historian David Hobbs, a former Commander in the Royal Navy, reflects on the career and life of Squadron Leader Dunning, the first man to land an aircraft onto a moving ship.
You can watch this free event from here, or if you’d like to join questions and discussion, you can also go direct to it in the Science Festival’s YouTube channel