How earlier carrier losses could weaken damage control

In this interpretation, the loss of experienced officers with Courageous and Glorious contributed substantially to Ark Royal's later sinking. Damage-control officers were a particular concern because carrier experience did not transfer automatically from other ship types. A carrier's distribution of weight and flammable materials created distinctive problems. Hangars and liquid fuels placed high in the ship affected the distribution of mass and the difficulties of controlling damage. The argument is that successive losses depleted specialist knowledge as well as the number of carrier hulls.