The conversion plan places the remaining boilers forward after removal of the after boiler room. A turbine space lies between two reciprocating-engine spaces, with the engines concentrated alongside one another. That concentration prompts concern that a single damaging hit could disable the whole propulsion installation. The arrangement is traced back to the battleship machinery layout carried into the conversion. Aviation stores in slots along the hull add another set of spaces to consider when reading the plan for damage control.
Notable Point · 6:40:26-6:42:18
Bearn's concentrated machinery and damage-control concerns
A plan of Bearn's conversion raises questions about boiler removal and the vulnerability of adjacent propulsion spaces to a single hit.