Editing Flight deck (section)

==Alternatives==
During the [[Cold War]] era, multiple unorthodox alternatives to the conventional flight deck were proposed and, in some cases, experimented with.

The Shipborne Containerised Air-defence System (SCADS)  was a proposed modular kit to convert a [[RO-RO]] or [[container ship]] into aviation vessels, with one scheme allowing a container ship to be converted to a STOVL aircraft carrier in two days during an emergency and quick removal after use for storage. A prefabricated flight deck and ski jump would allow six Sea Harriers and two helicopters to be operated, with shipping containers providing hangarage for the aircraft and housing their support systems and personnel as well as defensive systems and missiles.<ref>{{Harvnb|Layman|McLaughlin|1991|pp=210–211}}</ref> Several variants of the SCADS concept were devised for different missions roles; one implementation was tailored towards helicopter operations for example.<ref>{{cite report |title = SCADS A AND B - TWO VERSIONS FOR THE ASSIGNMENT OF PART OF THE LOAD TO WEAPONS SYSTEMS ON CONTAINERSHIPS |last = Sambuy |first = Dí |date = 1990 |s2cid = 106444551 }}</ref> It was effectively a modern equivalent to the [[Second World War]]-era [[merchant aircraft carrier]].

The Skyhook system was developed by [[British Aerospace]], involving the use of a crane with a top mating mechanism hung over the sea to catch and release VTOL aircraft, such as the Harrier jump jet. The system could be installed on ships of various configurations and sizes, even those as small as [[frigate]]s, enabling virtually any Royal Navy ship to deploy a handful of Harriers. It was intended for the Skyhook to enable not only the launch and recovery of such aircraft, but to enable rapid rearming and refuelling operations to be performed.<ref>{{cite web |first=Greg |last=Goebel |url=http://www.wingweb.co.uk/aircraft/Harrier_VTOL_Jump-Jet_part4.html |title=The full story of the Harrier 'Jump-Jet' Part Four—the 'Second Generation' Harriers—The BAe/MDD AV-8B Harrier II, GR.5, GR.7, GR.9 & T.10 Harriers |publisher=Wingweb.co.uk |access-date=10 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019135316/http://www.wingweb.co.uk/aircraft/Harrier_VTOL_Jump-Jet_part4.html |archive-date=19 October 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Layman|McLaughlin|1991|pp=154–155, 192–193}}</ref> The system was marketed to various foreign customers into the 1990s, such as to enable [[Japan]]'s fleet of [[helicopter destroyer]]s to operate Harriers by installing the Skyhook on board.<ref>Jacobs, Gordon. "Reporting from the East, Japan continues to emphasis its sea defense forces". ''Jane's Defence Weekly'', 1990, p. 64.</ref> Perhaps the most elaborate implementation proposed was the application of the Skyhook to large submarines, such as the Russian {{sclass2|Typhoon|submarine|4}}, to produce a [[submarine aircraft carrier]].<ref>Treadwell, Terry. "Submarine Aviation", ''The Putnam Aeronautical Review'', 1991. pp. 46–54.</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=h9QDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA181 "Skyhooks for Harriers".] ''Popular Mechanics'', October 1983, p. 181. Retrieved 31 July 2011.</ref>

The [[Saunders-Roe SR.A/1]] was a prototype [[jet propulsion|jet-propelled]] [[flying boat]] fighter, developed during the 1940s with the intention of eliminating the monopoly held by aircraft carriers on launching jet fighters. Described as being the first water-based aircraft to harness jet propulsion in the world,<ref name="king54"/> the SR.A/1 attracted interest from both British and American officials, with data on the project being transferred.<ref name="king 555">King 14 December 1950, p. 555.</ref> However, officials concluded that the concept had been rendered obsolete in comparison to increasingly capable land-based fighters, together with the inability to resolve engine difficulties, compelling a termination of work. During June 1951, the SR.A/1 prototype (TG263) flew for the last time.<ref name="London Boats p235-237">London 2003, pp. 235–237.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=British Aircraft, 1951 |journal=Flight |date=7 September 1951 |volume=60 |issue=2224 |page=288 |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1951/1951%20-%201733.html |quote=Tests with the Beryl-powered S.R./A.1 continue}}</ref>

During the early 1950s, Saunders-Roe worked on a new fighter design, designated ''Project P.121'', that featured [[skis]] {{emdash}} aircraft publication ''[[Flight (magazine)|Flight]]'' referred to it as the "Saunders-Roe Hydroski" {{emdash}} with the aim of bringing its performance closer to that of land-based aircraft. By adopting hydroskis and dispensing with the hull approach of the SR.A/1, no concessions to hydrodynamic requirements were imposed upon the fuselage.<ref>Buttler.''British Secret Projects : Jet Fighters since 1950'', Page 240.</ref><ref name="king54"/> On 29 January 1955, the company decided not to proceed with the construction of a prototype, the proposal having not attracted any official support.<ref>Buttler.''British Secret Projects : Jet Fighters since 1950'', Page 243.</ref><ref name="king54">{{cite journal |last1=King |first1=H. F. |title=Military Aircraft 1954 |journal=Flight |date=25 June 1954 |volume=65 |issue=2370 |page=828 |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1954/1954%20-%201859.html}}</ref>

The [[Convair F2Y Sea Dart]] was a supersonic seaplane jet fighter that had skis rather than wheels. In the late 1940s, the United States Navy feared that supersonic aircraft would stall at low speeds required for a carrier arresting gear, and therefore would not be able to land on a conventional aircraft carrier. The Sea Dart would land on (smooth) water; then be lowered and raised from the sea via crane. The Navy also considered combining the Sea Dart with the unorthodox approach of a submarine aircraft carrier that could carry up to three such aircraft inside purpose-built pressure chambers. They would have been raised by a portside elevator aft of the sail and either take off on their own from a smooth sea or be catapult launched from the aft in a higher sea.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Friedman|first1=Norman|last2=Christley|first2=Jim|title=U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History|date=1995|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, MD|isbn=978-1-55750-263-6}}</ref> During the test flight phase, the hydro-skis generated violent vibrations during takeoff and landing, while a fatal crash caused by structural failure also marred the programme; the Navy opted to cancel all production aircraft.{{sfn|Yenne|2009|p=112}}

The United States Navy held considerable interest in the submarine aircraft carrier concept during the late 1940s. A study performed in 1946 envisioned very large submarines, ranging from {{convert|600|ft|m|abbr=on}} to {{convert|750|ft|m|abbr=on}} in length, to carry two [[North American XA2J Super Savage|XA2J Super Savage]] bombers for the strategic [[nuclear strike]] mission, or alternatively four [[McDonnell F2H Banshee|F2H Banshee]] fighters. Another proposal would have involved the conversion of redundant Second World War-era [[fleet submarine]]s to enable carriage and launch of a seaplane model of the [[Douglas A-4 Skyhawk]] attack aircraft, which would have been equipped with hydro-skis for takeoff similar to those of the Sea Dart.<ref name="FriedmanSubCar-1">{{cite book | last = Friedman | first = Norman | title = U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History | publisher = [[United States Naval Institute]] | date = 1994 | location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]] | pages = 178–182, 262–263 | isbn = 1-55750-260-9 }}</ref>