Why Malta armoured the hangar deck

Ark Royal placed its strength deck at flight-deck level, while the Illustrious and Implacable families concentrated flight-deck armour over their hangars. Malta required an exceptionally large flight deck strong enough for heavy aircraft, but its length also demanded an expansion joint. That moving joint helped produce the twin-island layout because a single island could not span it. With the available wartime construction methods, the joint also made a continuous armoured flight deck impractical. The designers therefore specified a strong, thick-steel flight deck above an armoured hangar strength deck, balancing protection, stability, size, and construction speed.