Why carrier damage control is different

Aircraft carriers carried substantial weight high in the ship: aircraft, hangar equipment, cranes, flight decks, and the island. An armoured hangar added still more weight above the hull. Damage-control habits learned in cruisers and battleships therefore needed adjustment, particularly the instinct to keep water out at almost any cost. A carrier could need prompt counter-flooding to control a list, even though deliberately admitting water contradicted a lifetime of practice in other ships. Written instructions and classroom knowledge did not automatically overcome that instinct during an emergency.