Did the U-boat threat to scarce British carriers make escort carriers the priority target?
Short answerEscort carriers were dangerous to U-boats and therefore attractive targets, but Ark Royal's sinking also depended on failures after the torpedo strike.
NotesArk Royal should have survived the torpedo damage, and the subsequent loss is treated as a damage-control failure rather than the inevitable result of one submarine hit. That distinction matters when counting British carriers supposedly lost to U-boats. Escort carriers were still valuable submarine targets because their aircraft threatened U-boats around convoys. At night, however, an escort carrier could be difficult to distinguish from the merchant ships around it. Tactical target selection was more complicated than simply choosing the most dangerous ship.