homepage Forums Air Combat & Civil Aviation Air Combat Maneuvers & Tactics Wooden decks versus metal in WWII

This is probably the wrong place for this, but here goes.
I had talked to a Veteran who was a Carrier pilot in WWII. He flew all the way into thd 1960s.
He told me that when a prop hit a wooden deck it ruined the props but not the engine.
He also said that if it hit a metal deck the engine was toast.
I swear I have seen that written about somewhere and for the life of me I cannot find it.
Does anyone have any info for this?
I know for heat and for replacement wood was used.
If any place knows the answer to this it is here on these threads.
Thank you

I don't know the answer, but if you don't get any better replies try reposting in Community Hall.

I have given this a bit of thought and I'm of the opinion that a wooden deck is probably just as likely to bring a prop to a sudden halt in such a way that the engine could still sustain damage.

Teak was used a lot for deck coverings and that is a dense, close grained hardwood. The wood was just a covering, I don't know how thick it was but underneath is steel plating.

Those are my thoughts on it but I may be barking up the wrong tree

*edit* I've had another thought. 2 in one day, mum will be proud. Might a spinning prop be more likely to 'bite' into a wooden deck and stop suddenly rather than just 'skip' off a metal deck?

We have some aviation experts on here, maybe they can shed some light on it.

Just happened to notice this discussion.

Welcome to SimHQ Paul, even if that was two months ago.

Whether the engine or props survived contact with the deck was secondary to two other considerations in my understanding.

Wood was used primarily for ease of repair. If there was an accident or crash, wood decks could be quickly and easily repaired. The second consideration was that wood decks don't produce sparks that could ignite spilled fuel.

Teak was preferred, but when the Japanese expanded their sphere of influence they took control of most of the world's teak wood, so US carriers used fir and pine instead from that point forward.

A wooden deck will trash the motor same as a metal one. It is amazing what small things happening to the prop will trash the engine.

Back in those days, the air conditioning we take for granted on ships was non-existent. Wooden decks were much better at regulating the temperature in the decks below, where a metal deck would turn the bigger ships into a furnace.

As already mentioned above - ability to repair while at sea. I took a tour of the USS Hornet and the docents were talking about that.