Heating systems and the test of wartime reliability

The carrier’s launch equipment depended on electrically heated compressed-air compartments, while selected aircraft were to be held at operating temperature using steam pre-heaters and warmed oil. Flight-deck power points could continue heating engines after the aircraft came up from the hangar. The catapult arrangement promised launches without turning into the wind as well as simultaneous launch and recovery, yet barriers and arrestor gear received less attention. These readiness measures had to work on a moving ship in salt water and freezing conditions. Combat damage and hurried deck handling would put every electrical and mechanical component under more strain than a tidy paper design suggested.