Hi All:

2nd visit, first post on the site. Looks good.
My question is on IJN and USN aircraft carriers of WWII. In photos I have seen, the flight deck planking on the IJN carriers ran lengthwise and USN planking ran across the width. Why the difference and what are the advantages/disadvantages of each?

Thanks:
Charlie

Welcome to Armorama DD-393, the very BEST modeling site on the web. Man, never saw this question asked anywhere else before. No idea as to why unless it's some kind of nautical ben swei (sp) kind of thing. Maybe it's something similar to how Japenese wrighting is up and done as opposed to western style side to side?

Welcome to Armorama.

I don't have an answer either. If I we're to guess, I would say it could be an engineering decision as to how they ran. Seems a cross-deck installation would provide for better support of topside weight than lengthwise, but both would be predicated on the physical structure to which the planking is applied. I wonder if it could also be determined by the manufacturing processes and so on. Just a few thoughts.

The Japanese probably just planked them the same way as their other warships, fore and aft.

The US may have gone cross-wise because the tie-down strips would not produce a hazard to aircraft launching and recovering - i.e., get a wheel caught in the groove?