Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:57:57-2:58:13

Lower flying-off decks promised faster fighter launches

A lower deck opening directly from the hangar was intended to launch fighters quickly, so some early carriers did not use one full-length flight deck.

Air DefenceCarrier DesignFighter AircraftFlight Decks
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Question

Why did some early carriers lack a full-length main flight deck?

Short answer

The lower flying-off deck let fighters leave directly from the hangar for what designers hoped would be a faster air-defence launch.

Notes

Some early carriers lacked a full-length main flight deck because designers wanted a lower flying-off position connected directly to the hangar. In theory, fighters could move straight out and launch more quickly. The arrangement was intended to accelerate the ship's air-defence response before later practice standardized other layouts. The unusual multi-level decks were therefore operational experiments rather than incomplete versions of the later carrier.