Internal funnels reveal the value of a carrier island

Furious routed her exhaust trunks horizontally through the hull to protect the flight deck from funnel turbulence. The internal runs consumed hangar volume that could otherwise have supported an air group comparable to those of Courageous and Glorious. Wind-tunnel results had favored the flush deck, but regular landing practice revealed an operational cost the airflow tests did not capture. Pilots used an island as a reference for judging height and alignment on approach. Its local turbulence proved less harmful than the disorientation created by its absence, making the island a safer and more useful feature despite its aerodynamic imperfection.