What Was the Purpose of the Arrow Deck Markings on Pacific War Era Japanese Aircraft Carriers?

Hello aviation Fans!
Ever wondered about the unique arrow-shaped lines painted on the decks of Japanese aircraft carriers during World War II? In this video, we dive into the fascinating history and purpose of these markings.
Discover how these visually striking patterns were designed to aid carrier operations, streamline flight deck management, and enhance efficiency during wartime missions. From guiding aircraft for takeoff and landing to their strategic significance in battle, these markings were more than just decoration-they were a crucial part of Japan’s naval aviation strategy.
If you're passionate about naval history or aviation technology, this deep dive into Japan's innovative carrier deck designs is for you! Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insights into naval and aviation systems!
#WWII #JapaneseCarriers #NavalAviation #MilitaryHistory
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All models and animations done in Blender 4.0
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3rd party video/photos clips used:
KZbin:
Japanese Aircraft Carriers (IJN) 日本の航空母艦
Japanese Aichi D3A1 Val dive bombers taking off from the carrier Akagi (1941)
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Music:
Cinematic Documentary Background Music For Videos - AShamaluevMusic
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contact: [e-mail]

[@painfulorwhat8872]

No fluff, no padding, no inane music, just excellent information, well presented. Thank you.

[@SergeyPRKL]

Exactly! And i liked it a lot!

[@blest5132]

agreed, we didn't get the full history of Japanese Imperial Navy

[@oxxnarrdflame8865]

Clever. You don’t see many videos on Japanese carrier ops. Thanks.

[@ChrisCoombes]

Thank you for not padding this out for 20 minutes.

[@x-planed]

You’re welcome. I’m trying to get to the point as soon as possible😉

[@ramosgonzales2691]

​@@x-planedi think you did great, thank you

[@hoilst265]

@@x-planed Awww. I really wanted to know about how when you were 6 your father first showed a picture of a Japanese aircraft carrier...

[@HobokenEscapee]

Or a stupid clickbaity thumbnail with “weird trick” and an arrow, or the author’s face contorted into some surprised look or something. Refreshing.

[@complexblackness]

Lol @ author's face contorted into a surprised look@@HobokenEscapee

[@MrKumi]

As a student pilot my immediate first thought was that it had to do with crosswind correction angles during landing. I’m quite surprised though at how they managed to implement that. A more convenient wind sock.

[@bhistory4304]

Thanks for bringing such interesting topics about ww2 history which many popular channels neglect. Will be waiting for your next video.

[@x-planed]

Thank You. Hope U subscribed😉

[@SoloPilot6]

The ones at the stern were for pilots, the ones at the bow were for the HELMSMEN, so that they could hold bearing into the wind. They were of little use to a plane taking off, which had to follow the centerline.

[@johnh2410]

At take-off, the lines would let the pilot know the strength of any sudden crosswinds so he could adjust accordingly.

[@kmoecub]

Pilots landing also had to follow the centerline, lest they roll off of the deck.

[@tomsmith3045]

@@johnh2410 They actually wouldn't, because the pilot in a ww2 tailwheel aircraft couldn't see directly in front of him and down, as the engine blocks that view.

[@kenkahre9262]

@@tomsmith3045 Only for the first few feet. Once your tail is up, the pilot would be able to see over the engine again.

[@tomsmith3045]

@@kenkahre9262 You're right...but as soon as that tail comes up, the pilot knows *exactly* where the wind is coming from, if there's any significant crosswind at all. Every pilot looks at the windsock, but not during the climb out.

[@damienhudson8028]

Thanks for making it short and to the point. Good video !

[@matthewdonoghue321]

This video is exactly why KZbin is great, the creator made a great video here... but in the pre internet era no tv show would pick up content like this because "the average person" would find it boring. Thanks.

[@ScoutSniper3124]

Speaking of steam and carriers. My time aboard the USS. Ranger (CV-61) including learning to JUMP! from the shower every time we heard an aircraft being launched from the catapults, as this brought hot AF steam out of the water pipes into the shower. I've never figured out how the fresh water and catapult systems were connected but an educated guess would be a heat exchanger (large vessel with many smaller tubes inside used to transfer heat from one fluid [steam] to another [water]) with leaking tubes. Either way, when you heard the shudder of the ship from a launch, every Sailor in the showers JUMPED OUT! in unison. Sort of a backasswards Water Ballet. P.S. - After a hitch in the U.S. Navy as a Jet Mechanic & Aircrewman, I opted to be a grunt in the U.S. Army. SSG. U.S. Army (Medically Retired) Infantry / Sniper / SOF Intel (SOT-A), multiple tours

[@calvinnickel9995]

Isn’t this just a normal thing? Every time the sound or the water pressure changes in a house you jump from the shower unless it it’s a modern one. My question is.. what were you doing having a Hollywood shower aboard a Navy ship?

[@calvinnickel9995]

PS: Thanks for your service. O7

[@paulreilly3904]

Saw your handle on another video, possibly on this channel, with another intelligent and interesting comment. It gets noticed and is appreciated. Thank you.

[@gargoyle7863]

Of course government budget was too tight for fixing a leaking heat exchanger. 😑

[@johnking6252]

Life in the military has many different perspectives on Life itself . Thx. 👍

[@jamesgarman4788]

Interesting! Now I know. I served onboard an aircraft carrier as the Conning Officer. During aircraft launch my job was to constantly face the carrier into the wind using the wind speed and direction meter, a long way form a vent pipe and lines on the deck!

[@elennapointer701]

That's a really clever solution to a problem I never actually thought about before. Thank-you for explaining this.

[@ptonpc]

Ingenious.

[@scottbuildsthemall5124]

Well that takes care of me learning something new today! Very cool to learn this about aircraft carriers of the past.

[@jamesharris4695]

Thank you for another great video

[@Fei_PL]

THIS is the way... of sharing knowledge to the others!

[@x-planed]

Thank You. Hope U subscribed😉

[@Synaps4]

Great video and very well explained

[@pathardage1880]

Ingenious. I had always been curious. Thank you.

[@johnmarten4184]

Sweet and to the point. Many thanks.

[@jhapethlloydciron3185]

When you say a "short explanation", you litterly meant it. Nice video

[@x-planed]

Thanks Mate😉

[@HelixRsix]

They were definitely used in down time to align their ten pin bowling angles to get a strike

[@johnking6252]

Gotta admit that is pretty damn efficient for the time! Thx for the info 👍

[@grizwoldphantasia5005]

I knew about the steam vent and had a pretty good guess about the angle lines. Reading Shattered Sword had just a few hints about Japanese carrier operations, such as engines had to be warmed up on the flight deck because the hangar deck was sealed. It would be great if you could cover things like that.

[@MorDarek]

smart and clever 👍🏻

[@katrinapaton5283]

Been a big fan of Japanese carriers my entire life but I did not know that. Very cool.

[@bobporch]

I also am a big fan of Japanese carriers, in particular, the ones we put on the bottom of the sea.

[@tanfred8629]

​@@bobporchexactly 💯

[@samuelweir5985]

@@bobporch You didn't put anything to the bottom of the sea.

[@bobporch]

@@samuelweir5985 You say that like you know something about me, which we both know you don't: Troll

[@neurofiedyamato8763]

That is so simple and smart. Great video.

[@nx9100]

all these years... never knew..... thank you!

[@jamesp739]

I noticed this in various documentories and movies over the years and surmised it's purpose. Thanks for confirming my thoughts. Great video! Please continue to publish!

[@SteamCrane]

Good tight presentation. Subscribed.

[@Blueboy0316]

Very informative and at a digestible length

[@toshiro8932]

I never thought that the purpose of this line on the Japanese carrier was to detect wind direction. I thought it's just a design to look more cool.

[@aaaht3810]

I've seen a lot of footage of Japanese aircraft taking off from a carrier, but I think this is the first time I've seen film of Japanese aircraft landing on the carrier.

[@ww2HistoryNerd]

Wow as a history nerd I actually never knew that. Thank you and I learned something new. I always thought it was for like identification or something like that

[@x-planed]

For identification a Kana symbols were used. I’ll cover that in one of incoming videos😉

[@fredferd965]

THANK YOU! I've always wondered about that. Didn't know about the steam generator. I always thought (wrongly, it appears) that the lines were just a warning to let pilots know they were approaching the bow, and where the bow was. Again, thank you!!

[@offshorequest]

Good information. Thanks !

[@FNHaole]

Your succinct presentation is very much appreciated.

[@jaypolas4136]

beautiful video

[@patrickgray4444]

Brilliant !

[@x-planed]

Thanks M8😉

[@seanimmel4187]

Yes, I like this and want to see more

[@OrdinaryLatvian]

Great video! Immediate subscription.

[@spankyharland9845]

interesting, I just learned something new. I always wondered if those lines had to do with maybe a wind sock but it was following the steam stream. I bet the steam came from the big rice cookers in the galley.

short and to the point...good job

[@ohasis8331]

Nice, simple, straight forward explanation with no fanfare. Thank you. Got a sub from me.

[@GeneralThargor]

Nice, no BS and says what it does on the tin. Thanks for the explanation.

[@theoldar]

Too cool! Thank you.

[@mikearmstrong8483]

I had always guessed that was the purpose, though I didn't know exactly how it worked because I was unaware of the steam vent. I wonder why US carriers didn't use a similar system?

[@paoloviti6156]

How interesting this info as I often seen those lines but I of course never understood what was it for but thanks to your info I really appreciate your info. Great and thank you!👍👍👍

[@paulmoore5401]

Interesting info.

[@tonbopro]

thx for sharing this❤❤❤

[@adecarnally5501]

Excellent as ever!

[@nornje]

That was really interesting. Thanks!

[@wacojones8062]

Good Educational Video.

[@mmmmm54321]

What an amazingly detailed yet concise explanation of those markings! I do wonder why a simple wind sock wasn't used instead as this seems much more complex to implement

[@SteamCrane]

The steam is more visible, and you can see the wind variations in the downwind trail. Much better than a windsock on a moving ship, useless on land.

[@hurricano471]

interesting, i was familiar with the steam jet system but i was under the impression it was toward the edges of the flight deck, not the centre. i always guessed the lines were for aircraft to measure the carriers heading, but the centerline steam jet makes much more sense. great video

[@franciscoosuna259]

This is great! Thank you. But this seems to depict markins at the bow. As the steam is trailing away from the bow. The markings for landing are revealed at 1:03 of the video. But we still get the idea. This is great content.

[@bobporch]

A very large windsock: quite clever.

[@maigretus1]

*Very* clever. Basically a windsock that you can fly through.

[@Mr.SharkTooth-zc8rm]

Ahhh... 👍 SUBSCRIBED!

[@envitech02]

Cool! I never knew this.

[@NickSchwanck]

Brilliant.

[@RCAvhstape]

So it's like a windsock. Cool.

[@NuclearBomb-ow4zf]

0:19 is that a real photo? Also i think the Arrow is to show aircraft landing which was the Bow end and not the aft as hiryuu and Akagi had PORT islands it could get confusing like accidently landing on Kaga and soryu

[@x-planed]

That’s what kana symbols were painted on the flight decks for

[@NuclearBomb-ow4zf]

@x-planed those Kanji letters near the rear?

[@bruhnvh]

Thanks for the video...short and to the point! Smart. Because they were the bad guys, and because late in the war the IJN had been so decimated by the USN, it sometimes is easy to overlook or forget that they were a very skilled navy that knew what they were doing. Another example I think I heard in another video somewhere (here? dunno) was that, once the planes were spotted, IJN carriers could launch and assemble a full air strike group much more quickly than the USN could. Obviously they were deficient in many areas, but in many ways they really had things figured out.

[@HDSME]

Great information!!! You need 40 mph over the wings when aerodynamics Comes into play !

[@ihydf]

I love your presentation style. No dramatic bullshit, just facts clearly explained!

[@x-planed]

Thank You. I appreciate it. Hope U subscribed😉

[@buckgulick3968]

Fascinating fact to learn! Color me subscribed.

[@treystephens6166]

Woah 🤯

[@politicsuncensored5617]

Thank you for this information. I grew up in a navy family. Joining the US navy in the 1970s and retiring in 2003. I started building WW 2 model warships in the late 1970s in the 1/700 scale. I chose the 1/700 scale because of the wide variety of kits and their detail. By 1990 I had built around 400 model warships mainly of the US and Japanese navy from WW 2. With a few of the famous European warships. I suspected this was what the lines were for, but never knew for sure. Sadly on one of our moves all of my model warships were all lost in the move.

[@TheSonOfDumb]

All of them lost? That's terrible.

[@neurofiedyamato8763]

Dang how does ALL of them get lost. That's very sad.

[@politicsuncensored5617]

@@neurofiedyamato8763 The crappy movers that we used. I was away on duty for nearly a year before I got back. When I went to check on the boxes of models they were all gone and the company out of business.

[@c6h5choh-cn82]

Stolen?!! So heartless people.

[@danblauwal4524]

no footage of the steam wind sock in operation?

[@misterbig9025]

What is the big red dot for?

[@LarryWater]

They should add that detail in World of Warships.

[@biddyboy1570]

Props

[@blockmasterscott]

1:09 Good grief that plane needs a paint job. What this tells me is that the carriers had to cover such a large area all over the Empire that they had no time for maintenance. Parshall mentioned this in “Shattered Sword”.

[@jameshall1300]

Iirc there was something about the Japanese paint itself that made it weather extremely fast. Probably some type of additive or something it was missing to make it bind better. I know even in the US Navy some types of paint weathered more quickly than others, especially under direct sunlight.

[@jmfa57]

Oddly enough, I knew that!

[@AlanHMartin]

You can see this in at least one big Hollywood WWII movie. I think maybe a ship model in Tora! Tora! Tora!

[@Foxfire_Pony]

This can be seen in use in the movie “Tora! Tora! Tora!”.

[@MotoroidARFC]

This makes me think about the string on the F-14's nose.

[@Absaalookemensch]

Which were more vital to the war in the Pacific, battleships or aircraft carriers?

[@x-planed]

It is said that WW2 was the dawn of battleships

[@Absaalookemensch]

​@@x-planed You mean dawn of aircraft carriers?

[@x-planed]

Yes, my mistake😉

[@alking4153]

Those markings also helped American dive bombers the big red meat ball was the target the ship taking evasive action but dive bombers could maneuver faster than the ship

[@ahmadsantoso9712]

It was a picture of a broom to remind those pilots that if they didn't land nicely, they would get slapped by the broom.

[@pawepakura5404]

But if the carrier was going against the wind, the steam on it's stern would flow in opposite direction, not over these lines

[@31terikennedy]

You would think it was more for coning the ship into the wind.

[@jackpinesavage9806]

So the pilots would know the pointy end goes first.

[@ivan5595]

0:08 I only see a battleship.

[@crazylocha2515]

A steam windsock. 👍

[@feathermerchant]

Nice system to denote wind direction. However, the wind over the bow does not provide "additional lift". Taking off into the wind decreases the groundspeed and hence length of the takeoff (ground or deck) run. The amount of lift remains the same as the aircraft experiences the same airspeed during the takeoff.

[@x-planed]

It does. Lift force is proportional to sqare speed of air over the wing

[@feathermerchant]

@@x-planed The amount of lift remains the same for a given airspeed other factors (angle of attack, etc.) being the same. There is no "additional lift" provided by the wind over the bow.

[@x-planed]

As You said: for a given airspeed. If the airspeed is higher (because of higher wind speed), the lift force also rises

[@c6h5choh-cn82]

Red meat balls always go with fork. That's what I thought 🤣

[@wsmith6170]

Silly question. Shouldn't the steam in the imagery be going TOWARDS THE REAR of the ship? Not to the front. The carrier would be going INTO the wind thus the steam would go from front to back. Just like any exhaust you see from a smoke stack, it should be going in the opposite direction of travel.

[@x-planed]

But it is😉

[@wsmith6170]

@@x-planed Oh, sorry about that. The image is not clear on whether it is the front or the back of the ship.

[@USSEnterpriseA1701]

It probably doesn't help that the carrier used for this visualization is Akagi, one of very, very few carriers with a portside island instead of the far more common starboard island. It can be a bit confusing to those that aren't as familiar with the IJN portside island carriers.

[@longtabsigo]

I will have to go back as I didn’t see that.

[@michaelmappin4425]

​@USSEnterpriseA1701 What? How in the world did I not know this? 😳 On November 20, 2024 I thought I knew everything carrier. That was yesterday.😂

[@chrisjackson1215]

Huh, and here I always thought it was to help U.S. dive bombers aim for the giant red circle.

[@friendofenkidu3391]

These and other visual aids helped pilots of the Imperial Japanese Navy land on aircraft carriers. None of their airplanes had radio communications equipment (to save on weight and increase the range of their aircraft). IJN airplanes with multiple aircrew could communicate via Morse code, but that kind of communication would not help an airplane land on a carrier.

[@danstinson7507]

American carriers had a similar steam port on the flight deck, mostly for planes taking off, so they could be aware of crosswinds. They didn't see a need to clutter the pilots' view with a bunch of lines.

[@tolik5929]

I thought they were to give American dive bombers , an aiming point .

[@VioletWyvern]

We didn't know these guidelines until now... But we all knows that "Rising Sun" album on the Japanese aircraft carriers meaning: It's telling enemy dive bombers "Aim here"...

[@borisbadaxe9678]

I had no idea what the arrows were for, but it was very considerate of the Japanese to paint a nice big red bullseye target on their carriers! 😊 🎯

[@c6h5choh-cn82]

Red meat balls always go with fork. That's what I thought 🤣

[@afvasmr8035]

Because they were made by Rolex

[@barnykirashi]

I saw Kaga, I'm satisfied. I'm however extremely disappointed you used Akagi for the animation. May the soul Akagi burn in hell for eternity.

[@DesMen-i9z]

The big red dot is what USN and USMC pilots aimed for when attacking Japanese carriers

[@mikeb.7183]

and I am sure the markings along with the steam helped them adjust their aim

[@alphakky]

Tenno Heika Banzai.

[@Ralphieboy]

Interesting. I always thought they were aiming points for American deive bombers 😄

[@marinegunny826]

They direct the Dauntless dive bombers to their target

[@Aldnon]

Yeah the downside is, the enemy can use it too for visual aid.

[@marinegunny826]

@Aldnon 😂😂😂 true that!

[@calvinnickel9995]

That was the Rising Sun symbol.

[@bundywaters5988]

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