Bomb damage exposes an armoured carrier's weak points

The lift areas beyond the main armoured hangar were particularly vulnerable to attack. Four, possibly five, bombs struck near the after lift, and one entered the hangar and shredded a fire curtain intended to confine a fire to one of its three sections. Near misses also damaged hull plating through underwater shock waves. Illustrious escaped via Alexandria, Durban, and Norfolk before further work in Britain prepared her for newer aircraft. Differences between British and American Imperial measurements prompted checks on the Norfolk repairs, which found some discrepancies but nothing too major.