Furious's experimental decks leave lasting compromises

Furious passed through several improvised aviation arrangements, including a forward flight deck with an 18-inch gun aft. Later arrangements included fore and aft hangars and decks connected by ramps around the superstructure. Very light World War I aircraft, such as the Sopwith Pup, could operate with rudimentary handling methods unsuitable for heavier machines. Repeated alterations introduced compromises that reduced Furious's eventual aircraft capacity compared with Courageous and Glorious. Those later conversions benefited from arrangements that had already proved troublesome. They still had faults, but Furious gave their designers experience of what to avoid.