PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Why do Aircraft Carriers have the Island on the right ?
Old 12th Apr 2023, 14:36
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SLXOwft
 
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To save JE the trouble of posting it a third time he gave one reason in 2006 https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/634765-why-do-aircraft-carriers-have-island-right.html#post2536643
However: the National Museum of the Royal Navy’s in-house magazine, Scuttlebutt reported here https://mechtraveller.com/2019/11/wh...tarboard-side/ backs the turning to port reason.
According to Chris Howat’s article,’The development of Naval Aviation Part 3 – 1917-1918‘ in Edition 58 of Scuttlebutt: the idea of an aircraft carrier with an island and a form of arrester gear was first proposed in 1915 by H.A. Williamson the Flying Officer on the Royal Navy’s seaplane carrier, HMS Ark Royal, while serving in the Gallipoli campaign.

In his detailed design, he chose to place the island on the starboard side because single-engine piston engined aircraft naturally swing to the left*** (port).

HMSs Argus and Furious had retractable chart houses. Early in her career Argus was fited with a temporary wooden island to test the effects on flying operations the article I quoted above states '“However,” writes Howat,”the pilots reported that a small structure on the starboard would help them judge their height. A wooden and canvas island was fitted and the ship would steam with the wind fine on the port bow.”.' The first USN carrier USS Langley was also flush decked and had electric propulsion (plus ca change).
The original design of HMS Eagle had port and starboard staggered islands but the port island was abandoned partly because trials on Furious had show the tendency of pilots to turn to port on aborting a landing.

Argus showing chart house

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/i...ect/1060023091

Early landing 'alighting' trials.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/i...ect/1060023158
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