Carrier landings demanded split-second deck coordination

A carrier compressed an airfield's runways, workshops, fuel, weapons, and accommodation into a flight deck of less than two acres. Arrestor wires had to stop a heavy aircraft arriving at speed, while crash barriers protected machines already parked forward. A pilot from HMS Battler describes landing about fifteen seconds behind the preceding aircraft and taxiing clear before the next approach. Deck crews had only seconds to lower and raise barriers, making recovery a tightly coordinated sequence in which one missed wire or delayed action could turn a controlled accident into a multiple-aircraft crash.