The second USS Hornet of WW2, CV-12 launched in 1943, was fitted with an angled deck in 1956 as CVA-12 and shows the impact on moving old elevator #3 from its ww2 position directly in centre of the angled deck, and creating the external "deck edge" lifts #3 & #4, to maximise concurrent operations and minimise hinderance of elevator access from the hangar to the deck flight operations. The 3 Yorktown class Carriers the US had after Pearl Harbour, such as USS Enterprise(CV-6) and USS Hornet (CV-8) all had 3 elevators/lifts, two of which were aft of the Island and therefore still compromised by landings being undertaken on the angled deck, while the third was at the front and under the launch deck, compromising take-offs, where as the ideal location would be forward of the island off the angled deck, but at the rear of the launch deck. Of course the other post war features which supported angled flight decks was the external "deck-edge" elevators, and the "overhang" storage/parking of aircraft, not a feature of WW2 designs in anyway. Relocation of the elevator/lift may only become a priority and design feature if your reasoning for specifically designing the angled deck carrier by 1940 was to maximise concurrent operations?, which still remains the logical reason to do so in WW2 as against the post war introduction of jet aircraft.
Most elevator /lifts to hangars were at the rear of the straight through decks to load the rear of the ship with aircraft to launch an attack.
That might not be an easy outcome for a pre-war straight deck carrier simply re-painted to the 6 degree angle. I would have assumed its not just concurrent landing and takeoff of one aircraft that is required, but management of entire departing and arriving air groups at the same time, that either requires space on the deck to accomodate many aircraft from both, or access to the hangars to bring up or store below. I agree a 6 degree "painted" angled deck might technically support concurrent landings and take-offs, however I think the improved turn around and concurrent operations the Japanese required at Midway to change the outcome of that battle and the war would be reliant on the placement of the hangar deck and its elevator/lift in a location off the angled landing deck and to "feed" the takeoff deck to maximise the aircraft undertaking the concurrent operations?Īt Midway Admiral Nagumo's carriers were caught with their bombers on the deck being re-armed from conventional bombs to torpedos, preventing the zero fighter air group being launched against the American attacking aircraft.
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