Larger Invincible proposals included deck-edge lifts, with consequences for cost, ballasting, hull form and stability. Such arrangements also challenged the Royal Navy's preference for enclosed, protected hangars. Wartime enemy damage offers one explanation for that preference, but the interpretation here places greater weight on First World War experience in the North Sea. Converted seaplane carriers could lose aircraft overboard when flimsy doors or exposed deck positions failed to protect them. Missing aircraft in the records therefore need not imply unrecorded enemy action.
Notable Point · 17:06-18:59
Deck-edge lifts and the Royal Navy's protected hangars
Larger carrier options raise questions about lifts, stability and protecting parked aircraft from heavy seas.