Originally Posted by
sandiego89
Interestingly the FORD seems to have gone to the other extreme with a single small island, very far aft.
The Ford doesn't need a large set of uptakes and downtakes to feed diesel and gas turbine generators.
Four things drove the two-island configuration :
1. Minimise flightdeck area lost. Not something UK has traditionally been good at (see Eagle and CVS for examples).
2. Provide separation/redundancy for up/downtakes. It's a bit pointless having a split power system if you end up with single point failure in way of the up/downtakes. As noted elsewhere, it also reduces the impact of those up/down takes - particularly with the positioning of the two GTs.
3. EMI/EMC. Topside space for antennae is at a premium. The Ford has got round this by a super-doper new integrated set of radars and comms systems, with planar arrays etc. UK didn't have the money to do that, so opted for more topside area - but still trying to minimise loss of FD area.
4. Navigation. The nav's view from Ford must be shocking. The RN didn't fancy that - particularly given the tight entry to Portsmouth.
there will undoubtedly be limitations - particularly wrt OOW/Wings co-ordination - but the RN will work through those, just as the RAF will have to learn to work aboard ship.....