What USS Langley inherited from a collier hull

Did converting the Proteus-class collier Jupiter into USS Langley preserve a fatal hull-design flaw?

It preserved several collier compromises, but Langley's experimental mission could tolerate them so long as the ship remained safe and usable.

The speakers resist naming one fatal flaw because collier hulls carried several structural compromises. Their framing, cargo spaces, and operating cycle were designed around sailing loaded in one direction and often lightly loaded on the return, which could create stresses and handling problems. Converting Jupiter into Langley did not erase those inherited characteristics. The Navy nevertheless used her chiefly as an aviation test bed, so a hull that floated, steered, and kept the crew functional could still deliver the experimental value required before her later seaplane-tender role.