Why was HMS Ark Royal built so tall rather than simply longer? The Royal Navy's practical answer was North Atlantic and North Sea seakeeping, because it could not afford a carrier optimized only for calmer waters. Height also created presence: Ark Royal towered over a port and made British power immediately visible. American supercarriers have a similar effect, as did HMS Hood, whose size and elegant profile made observers read her as more formidable than a technical battlecruiser assessment would suggest. Warship dimensions communicate politically as well as solving engineering and operational problems.
Notable Point · 2:46:47-2:50:38
Ark Royal's height combined seakeeping with visible power
A question about Ark Royal's tall hull reveals how North Atlantic operating needs and the political value of an imposing silhouette could reinforce one another.