Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:18:18-2:22:12

How Admiral-class carriers could reshape interwar aviation

Large Admiral-class conversions could have raised carrier prestige, altered treaty tonnage assumptions, and given later British designs a larger armored-carrier baseline.

Admiral Class BattlecruisersAlternate HistoryCarrier TonnageFleet Air ArmWashington Naval Treaty
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Question

What wider effects might follow from converting Admiral-class battlecruisers into carriers?

Short answer

They could change treaty carrier limits, elevate naval aviation, hasten Fleet Air Arm independence, and make later British carriers larger.

Notes

An Admiral- or Renown-scale conversion would have approached Lexington and Saratoga in length, displacement, and institutional visibility. Negotiators might then have defined national carrier allowances around 30,000-ton ships rather than the historical 27,000-ton unit. Larger British conversions could have raised the prestige of naval aviation and reduced the chance that such ships were scattered into low-value duties. That commitment could also have strengthened the Royal Navy's case for earlier control of the Fleet Air Arm and established a larger baseline for later armored carriers.