Unlike the British carriers, "Taihō" and "Shinano" had unarmored sides to their hangars. For stability reasons, the latter only had a single hangar that was , with a minimum width of aft, and had a height of . The forward area of the hangar was dedicated to maintenance and storage facilities. Aircraft were transported between the hangar and the flight deck by two elevators, one at each end of the hangar on the centerline of the flight deck. The larger of the two measured . They were capable of lifting aircraft weighing up to . The ship had an aviation gasoline (avgas) capacity of . Because "Taihō" had been sunk by an explosion of gasoline fumes, large ventilation fans were installed on the hangar deck to expel fumes in case of damage to the gasoline system. Canvas wind scoops could also be rigged over the elevator opening to force more air inside.