Akagi

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

Anyone know what the "almost JBD" panels are for? Is it just to keep wind off the aircraft/crews while flight operations/launches are carried out forward? They were part of the original three deck arrangement and carried over for the refit.

[PatrickAWlson]

That is one hell of a nice model

[BlitzPig_EL]

I'm guessing deflectors to keep wind out of the hangar deck.

[Stoopy]

19 minutes ago, II/JG17_HerrMurf said:

... Is it just to keep wind off the aircraft/crews while flight operations/launches are carried out forward? ...

 

 

Unless I be mistaken, that is the forward part o'the shippy, isn't it?

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

11 minutes ago, Stoopy said:

 

Unless I be mistaken, that is the forward part o'the shippy, isn't it?

 

Yes, I meant to protect AC and crew behind them while the ship is turned into the wind, launching the AC forward of them. The "almost JBD's" are about a 1/3 of the way down the deck.

Edited February 25, 2021 by II/JG17_HerrMurf
clarity

[AndyJWest]

Yeah, the Akagi is a little confusing, but I don't think they launched aircraft tail-first.

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

I'm going with Blitz on this one now that I have a broader view of the flight deck. They are too far forward to launch AC ahead of them.

Edited February 25, 2021 by II/JG17_HerrMurf

[Gambit21]

17 minutes ago, II/JG17_HerrMurf said:

I'm going with Blitz on this one now that I have a broader view of the flight deck. They are too far forward to launch AC ahead of them.

 

Or...are they there to keep the forward aircraft from getting too light on their feet prior to take off? Remember the Zero has extremely light wing-loading.

[Irishratticus72]

4 minutes ago, Gambit21 said:

 

Or...are they there to keep the forward aircraft from getting too light on their feet prior to take off? Remember the Zero has extremely light wing-loading.

Well, the Japanese are renowned for their love of kite flying. 

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

10 minutes ago, Gambit21 said:

 

Or...are they there to keep the forward aircraft from getting too light on their feet prior to take off? Remember the Zero has extremely light wing-loading.

 

That was my first thought. They were also there for the bi-plane era which goes along with the wing loading theory. It's possibly dual purpose. It the first photo I though they were farther back and you could launch AC ahead of them. The second photo shows that is not the case.

55 minutes ago, PatrickAWlson said:

That is one hell of a nice model

 

This one is pretty standard scale at 1/350. There is a 1/250 out there as well. This one is finished really well. I watched Run Silent, Run Deep the other night and it got me to thinking about all of the large scale ship models I'll never actually take on

[AndyJWest]

Prior to the modernisation that closed in the two lower flight decks, the top deck was shorter, and the barriers would have been almost at the front of it. I wonder if the original intention was to prepare aircraft for a mass launch on the top deck, behind the barriers, and then use the lift to drop them down to the lower decks to launch?

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

[Gambit21]

7 hours ago, II/JG17_HerrMurf said:

 

That was my first thought. They were also there for the bi-plane era which goes along with the wing loading theory.

 

That's the only purpose I can rationalize for them really.

The forward set would mitigate any such issues for aircraft sitting on the lift, heading either direction.

[JG1_Vonrd]

"Just in front and aft of the forward elevator are two windscreens that could be raised protecting elevator operation from wind damage in rough weather."

 

http://steelnavy.com/MMJapaneseCVdecks.htm

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

Thanks, looks like some of us got on the right track after hashing it out amongst ourselves. Good find.

[namhee2]

(4) Imperial Japanese Navy's Aircraft Carrier Akagi - YouTube