Argus was larger and faster than Langley yet carried roughly half as many aircraft in the figures discussed. Much of that difference came from Argus's complicated internal funnel route, while Langley exhausted gases over the side. Argus nevertheless retained unusually large lifts that later made her useful for ferrying non-folding-wing fighters to Malta. The comparison shows how early carrier performance depended on details that conventional ship design had not needed to solve.
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Argus and Langley reveal the cost of funnel arrangements
A comparison of the pioneering flat-tops shows how exhaust routing could consume internal space and limit aircraft capacity.