Courageous was lighter and faster while carrying only modestly fewer aircraft than Kaga. Kaga's great exhaust trunk ran beneath the flight deck and through space that could otherwise serve aviation functions. The duct also brought heat and complexity into the hangar instead of carrying gases directly upward through an island. The comparison turns funnel placement into a concrete lesson in how one design decision affects capacity, weight, speed, and working conditions.
Chapter · 2:43:00-2:47:37
Courageous and Kaga expose the cost of bad exhaust routing
A side-by-side comparison shows how Kaga's long horizontal funnel consumed volume and hurt efficiency despite her larger displacement.