I always wondered why someone thought they could put sleeping quarters below the flight deck right there,...
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I think it was because it provided us a quicker access to our battle stations during general quarters, instead of being several decks below. There were passageways along the port side and catwalks that permitted us to move from the berthing compartment to our stations forward much faster than having to climb ladders. (I carry scars and dents in my shins from the edges of hatch combings while running in near dark to travel about 600 feet to my station during GQ)
Regarding the noise of landings... Yes, we got used to it and slept like logs. ........Thank you for your service, too!
rlmorel
I always wondered why someone thought they could put sleeping quarters below the flight deck right there,...
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I think it was because it provided us a quicker access to our battle stations during general quarters, instead of being several decks below. There were passageways along the port side and catwalks that permitted us to move from the berthing compartment to our stations forward much faster than having to climb ladders. (I carry scars and dents in my shins from the edges of hatch combings while running in near dark to travel about 600 feet to my station during GQ)
Nope. I mean, yes, the people sleeping up there are closer to the flight deck for GQ, but the more important reason for putting a couple of decks between the flight deck and hanger deck that can be loaded up with lightweight stuff like berthing compartments is to provide a bomb-deck: A semi-armored series of flat deck plates and armored deck plates so the bomb and rocket blasts coming from above or penetrating the flight deck DON’T get all the way through to the hanger deck before exploding. A rocket blast that does explode up high gets diverted and spread out as it tries to go through each deck: Again, saving the planes and people working down on the hanger deck.
It is nice that berthing spaces are cheap, needed, and lightweight: All good reasons for a ship designer to put them up high above the waterline. Bad for the crew though.
At Midway, our bombs DID get through the flight deck to the hanger deck - which was clogged with planes refueling and re-arming as the Japs tried to shift between AP bombs and GP bombs and torpedoes. That lesson (that killed the Japanese) saved our nation in WWII.