Survivability of Carrier, armoured or unarmoured

fredymac said:

WWII carrier battles showed that hitting first mattered since all carriers were no match for bombs/torpedos.

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Methinks you mean US Carriers. British Fleet Carriers with their armoured decks were more than a match for most aerial bombs or Kamikazes, compared to US carriers with their wooden decks. On British carriers it was, "Man brooms" to sweep the debris off the deck, with flight operations resuming soon thereafter.

Ironically, a Kamikaze carrying a 500lb bomb has less impact than the same bomb dropped in a dive attack. And no armored deck could protect against 1000lb or 2000lb bombs. I think (not sure) that British carrier decks were 1.5 inch thick. That beats a quarter inch plate topped with timber but it isn't going to stop an armor piercing bomb dropped from altitude.

The Midway class used 3 inch deck armor and wound up being top heavy. Deck strength now is enough to take the weight/impact of heavy jet aircraft landings and provide a limited level of protection against ordnance explosions on the deck like the kind suffered by the Forrestal and Enterprise.

D. K. Brown lists the damage to the armoured carriers.

HMS Formidable was hit by a Kamikaze on 4 May 1945, left a depression 24ft x 20ft and a 2ft sq hole, buckled a deep beam and 3 fragments pierced the hangar deck. One of those went though the boiler room into the double bottom. Still remained fully operational. A second Kamikaze on 9 May left a depression 4.5in deep and distorted a beam 3in.
HMS Victorious was hit by 3 Kamikazes on 9 May too, the first caused no damage but the second detonated on deck (near lift and B 4.5in turret) with 3in depression over 144ft sq and a 24ft sq hole which buckled the longitudinal bulkhead below and broke the acclerator. The third Kamikaze caused no damage and the carrier was still operational.
Earlier on 1 April HMS Indefatigable was hit on starboard side of island. Deck indented 15ft sq by up to 2in and no penetration. Large fire. Flight deck repaired in 30 minutes but island took a month to fully repair.