Canted/Angled Flight Decks

[rickusn]

Was doing some browsing and came across this interesting historical report:

http://www.ussantietam.com/files/canted_deck_evaluation.doc

Now the USN appears to have standardized the 10 1/2 degree deck.
The RN OTOH appears to have stayed with 8 degree decks.
Can anybody verify this?

 

[rickusn]

Well maybe the 10 1/2 dgree angled deck was just for experimentation purposes.

As the Forrestal class had 8 degree angled decks.

And I should note that all the other Essex calss rebuilds and Midway class rebuilds had 8 degree angled decks.

OTOH I also found this about Midways late 1960s rebuilding:

http://www.midwaysailor.com/midway/history.html

" a change of 13 degrees to the angle deck."

In a related note the MN carrier Charles de Gaulle has a canted deck variously listed as either 8.3/8.5 degrees.

 

[kato]

Hm, i guess the RN tried for less angle later on (i.e. in the 60s; all those original conversions with 8-/8.5-degree angle were in the 50s); the CVA-01 attack carrier design, according to Beedall, in 1960 still was supposed to have a 7-degree angled deck, changed in 1963 first to 4 degrees, then 3.5 degrees.

With regard to CdG - the carriers converted for sale to South America, 25 de Mayo and Minais Gerais, iirc both had 8.5-degree angled decks. Both were converted in the Netherlands iirc (including the new angled decks).

 

[rickusn]

Yes the RN reduced the angle when they went to the so-called "parallel" deck design.

http://navy-matters.beedall.com/cva01.htm

 

[rickusn]

Went back to my "Ships and Aircraft of the US Fleet" and found.

Enterprise 10 degree angled deck.

Kitty Hawk, Constellation, America and JFK 11 degrees.

Nimitz class 9 degrees.