the ship's superstructure, masts, funnel and landing deck were removed and she was given a flight deck that extended over three-quarters of her length. this flight deck was not level; it sloped upwards about three-quarters of the way from the stern to help slow down landing aircraft, which had no brakes at that time. the fore-and-aft arresting gear was not intended to stop landing aircraft—the landing speeds of the time were low enough that this was unnecessary given a good headwind—but rather to prevent aircraft from veering off to one side and potentially falling off the flight deck. various designs for the flight deck were tested in a wind tunnel by the national physical laboratory which showed that the distinctive elliptical shape and rounded edges used minimised turbulence.