Crash barriers and flight-deck tempo

Could historical carriers separate launch and recovery activity on the flight deck?

Yes. A crash barrier could divide the deck, be lowered for a mass launch, and be raised again to protect aircraft behind a launch accident.

Historical carriers used a crash barrier to divide the flight deck and separate launch from recovery activity. The barrier could be lowered for a mass launch, then raised again as aircraft departed so a launch accident would be less likely to sweep the rest of the deck. Deck safety arrangements therefore affected sortie generation and operating tempo. The example also shows how a game rule about launching and recovering aircraft can miss the practical flexibility of a real carrier deck.