I've found my new love in Friedman's "U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History": The CVE 2/53 (or SCB-43; c.f., http://books.google.de/books?id=-UT7MDT ... 22&f=false) -
550 feet in the water line, deck edge lifts, hurricane bow and an angled flight deck - exactly my bag of thing!
The sketch, however, is pretty rough, and there are e few issues I'd like to hear some more opinions about.
Transom:
What would reflect the spirit of the time better, a u-shaped transom like on the Casablanca CVEs, or rather a more v-shaped one like on the Iwo Jima LPHs?
Deck edge lift position:
In the sketsch there are two alternative positions given for the starboard deck edge lift. One immedeately aft of the bridge, and the other at the aft end of the hangar. At a first glance, the more forward position seems to be somewhat awkward, because you cannot operate the centreline and the deck edge lift without interferrence. However, a plane could taxi from the parking area onto the lift and into the hangar withot blocking the landing strip, which is neither possible with the centreline nlift nor with the deck edge lift in the aft position. And maybe/probably an independent operation of the two lifts isn't even a requirement at all? (After all, we are talking about a CVE, not a CVA!).
Guns:
While it's out of question, that there are two gun positions missing in the sketch (and the only suitable place would be under the starboard, aft flight deck overhang), I wonder how they would have been most likely positioned in the vertical direction: On the gallery deck level, or one deck below like the stern guns? Or even on two deck levels superfiring each other (pretty much like on the Commencement Bay class)?
By the way: Which year exactly did the U.S.Navy move from the converging (landing) deck markings to nowaday's parallel ones?
Michi
