Comments by "John Burns" (@johnburns4017) on "How the Japanese Carriers were so effective" video.

  1. All three carrier nations had big ships and big guns as the prime offensive.
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  2. HMS Hermes was was the world's designed aircraft carrier, the Hōshō was the first to be launched and commissioned. However, Hōshō was initially designed as a seaplane carrier, not an aircraft carrier. After many modifications based on British experience, she was converted to an aircraft carrier. The design of the hull was based on a large cruiser, not a new clean sheet design. Hull for carriers are quite different as they are to maximise hangar space. In 1941 the Japanese carriers were not the most advanced in the world. The British led carrier design all through.  The 1940 HMS Illustrious had hurricane bows and an armoured flight deck, while the Japanese used wood.
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  3.  @berengerchristy6256  British made the best carriers and the most advanced. Angled flight decks, mirror landing, hurricane bows, Islands, armoured flight decks, ski-jump flight decks, vertical take-off planes, steam catapult, etc. All advances came from the British. Carriers do not fight each other, the planes on-board do.
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  4. The first designed and under construction dedicated air raft carrier was HMS Hermes. It was under construction before the Japanese carrier but operational before Hermes due to various delays.
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  5. In 1941 the Ark Royal class was considered superior to Japanese designs. The Illustrious class from 1940, had an armoured flight deck and hurricane bows, being considered the leading carrier design at the time. Japanese carriers, as US carriers, had wooden flight decks. Japanese and US carriers were bigger as they operated in the vast Pacific. They used planes as the "attack". British carriers were a part of a fleet with the battleships being the 'attack', performing a recon role and occasional torpedo attack. British carriers were smaller, only meant to operate at around 10-14 days sea, as they were always near a friendly port. British carriers were envisaged to operate closer to shore, meeting more potent land based aircraft, so were armoured. Hence why they were used close in to Okinawa, where kamikazes bounced off them. British carriers had a control room that coordinated carrier and land based planes - the US adopted this design.
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