The Japanese arrangement shared the British ambition to launch small aircraft below while recovering others on the main deck, an early attempt to separate the two operations. Without carrier accelerators, the British term for the systems later called catapults, the concept depended on aircraft remaining small enough to fly from very short runs. Akagi's middle deck was only about 15 meters long and the lower deck about 55 meters, leaving little growth margin. Twin eight-inch mountings beside the middle deck further spoiled airflow and clearance, while the flush-deck arrangement lacked an island reference for pilots. Exhaust trunks heated and obstructed aviation spaces, reinforcing the case for the later single-flight-deck reconstruction.
Chapter · 44:37-49:02
Akagi's multiple decks could not keep pace with aircraft growth
Akagi's tiered flight decks sought simultaneous launch and recovery, but short takeoff runs, eight-inch guns, and disruptive exhaust routing undermined the concept.