Lower flying-off decks sped fighter launches before radar

Multiple flying-off positions reduced the delay caused by slow lifts and line-of-sight warning. Cruiser carriers mainly accompanied cruising formations and defended themselves, while fleet carriers had to put fighters aloft quickly for the larger force. Fleet-carrier hangars therefore placed light fighters forward by the fastest lifts, scouts and spotting aircraft amidships, and torpedo bombers aft. Light fighters such as the Sopwith Camel and Fairey Flycatcher could use the short forward decks, while a torpedo bomber carrying its weapon could not. A picket destroyer or aircraft might provide only moments of radio warning, so fighters positioned near a lower deck could react sooner. Heavier aircraft eventually made the lower decks impractical. Radar, longer-endurance combat air patrols, and airborne early warning supplied time through different means.