Yorktown's launch cycle and Pacific strategy

The carrier's internal arrangement is presented as a system for moving ammunition and aircraft rapidly from stowage to the flight deck. Once reconnaissance located the enemy, the ship was meant to launch a large strike with as little delay as possible. That priority answered the Pacific's long distances and lack of nearby safe ports, where towing a damaged carrier could expose the rest of the force. In that setting, winning the initial fleet action could matter more than optimizing every carrier to absorb damage and continue operating indefinitely.