RN Flight deck codes

[TallEng]

Does anybody know how the flight deck codes for Royal Navy Aircraft carriers were chosen/selected?

[The Wooksta!]

Post war, usually the initial of the ship.  WWII I'm sure it was at random to fool the enemy.

[NARSES2]

WWII I'm sure it was at random to fool the enemy.

I'd agree with that, never been able to figure it out logically

[rickshaw]

Like the Tallybands on RN/RAN/RCN/Commonwealth navy's ratings' caps, Hull Numbers are a boon to enemy intelligence.  Which is why when war is declared the Tallybands are removed and replaced with simply "[insert initials of Service here]" instead of the ship's name and the Hull Numbers painted out.  Hull Numbers also make excellent aiming marks for submarines (and the Deck Numbers for aircraft).  The IJN even went to the point of paining false hull outlines on their carrier decks - slightly misaligned with the real hull, so that it looked like the carrier was sailing somewhere it wasn't.  Other navies often painted false bow waves on both the front _and_ the rear of their ship hulls, so as to mislead submarines taking a bead on them.   Whether or not this stuff worked or not is another matter!

[NARSES2]

Like the Tallybands on RN/RAN/RCN/Commonwealth navy's ratings' caps, Hull Numbers are a boon to enemy intelligence.  Which is why when war is declared the Tallybands are removed and replaced with simply "[insert initials of Service here]" instead of the ship's name

Now that's what I always thought until my dad put one of his WWII RN "Tallybands" (never heard that name before) up on his wall.It was HMS Collingwood if memory serves. I said what was HMS Coilingwood then dad - assuming it was a destroyer or something - the reply was "the Wrenery at Portsmouth, thats a wartime trophy" 

RN/RCN/RAN/RNZN subs had HM Sub rather then HMS and they were worth a fortune at Portsmouth. Any wearers of such were excused duties when ashore