A longer-lived Henderson could preserve carrier construction and the Malta class

What might happen if Admiral Reginald Henderson lived another 22 years?

He could become First Sea Lord, resist the carrier-construction pause, and push the Malta class as the Royal Navy's largest available carrier design.

Reginald Henderson lived to 57, so the counterfactual adds enough time for him to reach the Royal Navy's highest professional office. His influence would probably resist Churchill's pause in capital-ship and carrier construction. Henderson consistently sought larger air groups and greater carrier survivability. That preference points toward completing the Malta class, with its very large flight decks, rather than continuing the Audacious design. His longer career produces a coherent alternative procurement philosophy.