Early Aircraft Carrier
Invented by British navy during World War 1, the aircraft carrier remained a basically experimental vessel during the 1920s.
It consisted of a long flat flight deck (hence the carriers nickname “flattop”) superimposed on girders above the hangar deck and hull.
Aircraft were shuttled between hangar and flight decks by large elevators, the places were maintained, repaired and usually stowed in the hangar area.
Smaller elevators hoisted bombs, and ammunition from lower deck magazines to the hangar and flight deck.
The flight deck was made of wood so that enemy bombs might penetrate it and no explode until striking the armored hangar deck, thereby preserving the easily repaired flight deck for air operations.
The British began armoring the flight deck in the late 1930s to absorb bombs hits because their carriers operated in close proximity to enemy bomber fields in Europe.
The Americans kept the wooden flight deck because their carriers operated in the open pacific not armoring them until world war II.
Fight operations were directed in most carriers from spaces located on the “island” superstructure affixed to the smoke stack projecting above the flight deck on the starboard side.
Britain’s initial carriers proved clumsy in contrast to the new “fast” 30 knot carriers which Americans and Japanese navies converted from battle cruiser and battle ship hulls under the terms of the Washington treaties of 1922.
By the time these became operational at the end of the decade 3 types of single engine carrier aircraft had been developed – the fighter for ariel defense of the fleet and of the other planes; dual mission scout-bomber for reconnaissance and for horizontal and dive bombing of enemy ship and ground targets and the anti-ship torpedo plane.
The primary mission of carriers during the 1920s and 1930s was as “eye of the fleet” scouting for the battle line. The officers and aviators who specialized in carrier duty however soon developed an independent attack function for carriers with bombing and torpedo planes outnumbering the fighters.
Early Aircraft Carrier
Invented by British navy during World War 1, the aircraft carrier remained a basically experimental vessel during the 1920s.
It consisted of a long flat flight deck (hence the carriers nickname “flattop”) superimposed on girders above the hangar deck and hull.
Aircraft were shuttled between hangar and flight decks by large elevators, the places were maintained, repaired and usually stowed in the hangar area.
Smaller elevators hoisted bombs, and ammunition from lower deck magazines to the hangar and flight deck.
The flight deck was made of wood so that enemy bombs might penetrate it and no explode until striking the armored hangar deck, thereby preserving the easily repaired flight deck for air operations.
The British began armoring the flight deck in the late 1930s to absorb bombs hits because their carriers operated in close proximity to enemy bomber fields in Europe.
The Americans kept the wooden flight deck because their carriers operated in the open pacific not armoring them until world war II.
Fight operations were directed in most carriers from spaces located on the “island” superstructure affixed to the smoke stack projecting above the flight deck on the starboard side.
Britain’s initial carriers proved clumsy in contrast to the new “fast” 30 knot carriers which Americans and Japanese navies converted from battle cruiser and battle ship hulls under the terms of the Washington treaties of 1922.
By the time these became operational at the end of the decade 3 types of single engine carrier aircraft had been developed – the fighter for ariel defense of the fleet and of the other planes; dual mission scout-bomber for reconnaissance and for horizontal and dive bombing of enemy ship and ground targets and the anti-ship torpedo plane.
The primary mission of carriers during the 1920s and 1930s was as “eye of the fleet” scouting for the battle line. The officers and aviators who specialized in carrier duty however soon developed an independent attack function for carriers with bombing and torpedo planes outnumbering the fighters.
Early Aircraft Carrier
