Warbird Information Exchange

During WWII, U. S. carriers had wooden flight decks. (The Brits at that time, I understand, were pioneering the use of armored flight decks.) Does anybody know what kind of wood was used? Teak?

Douglas Fir, though later in the war portions where the planes landed were replaced with teak for durability. IIRC the boards were 3-1/8" thick. I don't recall the width of the planks.

teak, while durable to the elements weathers quickly cosmetically. it grays out & is a royal pain in the butt to keep looking good.

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

The USS Yorktown (CV-5) had a deck of Douglas fir... I know because my grandfather helped lay it down.

Can't speak for other carriers, though.

Lynn

The USS Princeton Veterans, Inc. has a plenty of pieces of the Princeton's flight deck that comes with a letter of authenticity and a nameplate, they are 8" long by 4" wide by 1" thick. I know that members can get one for $5.00 shipping & handling. Their website is: www.ussprincetonvetsinc.org

Rinse it with diluted bleach, brings the original color back, also works for redwood.

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Those who possess real knowledge are rare.

Those who can set that knowledge into motion in the physical world are rarer still.

The few who possess real knowledge and can set it into motion of their own hands are the rarest of all.

Often wondered the same thing. I've been told Douglas fir,
spruce, and teak. Perhaps it's what was available. Have
several pieces of CV-6 flight deck.

what of Japanese, british, Canadian carriers?? if i'm not mistaken the flight decks of those were armored....... why u.s. carrier decks weren't armored baffles me considering our large gap in technology.

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

It is/was all a matter of trade-off's. The British Carriers were tough, but that deck armor came at the price of greatly reducing aircraft compliment, which meant they had fewer fighters to stop the bombers before they got the chance to attack the carrier(s).

U.S. CV decks were wood for two reasons.........

1. The wood would "give" a bit when a plane landed,
thus a slight cushioning effect.

2. It was believed a metal flight deck would make the
ship top heavy and increase the chance of a capsize.

Owen

I'd think that a metal deck (without any type of surface material) would be awfully slippery for an aircraft to land on. Deck paint like they use on ships wouldn't wear well and may not have been much better for traction.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

Why would it matter if the deck is slippery? Landing carrier aircraft don't use brakes and traction to stop, they use hooks and wires. Obviously if it's slippery like ice that's another matter, but I'm sure they used some kind of anti-skid coating.

Because I'm not a trained naval aviator.
If I'm landing a fast aircraft on a moving wet surface, with grave consequences for going over the side, I'd prefer some traction.
Eventually, you'll have to apply brakes when parking.

Maybe I'm just a wimp...and it's a good thing I wasn't a Corsair pilot in "the Big One".

_________________
Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

Apparently this is only a make-believe problem, since I don't think anybody has built a wooden-deck carrier since 1945.

I would think that the ease of repair and replacement would be a huge factor as well as all of the other reasons mentioned.