Ark Royal's flight deck was her strength deck, which provides the starting point for a proposed armour installation. The suggested design borrows from the Illustrious class while applying the County-class approach of retaining armour for later fitting. It also calls for improved torpedo protection, addressing a compromise associated here with carriers of Ark Royal's generation. The aim is to design the ship from the outset for later strengthening while keeping the initial configuration within treaty limits.
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Using Ark Royal's strength deck for added protection
A treaty-selective design could use Ark Royal's flight deck as a structural base for later armour while correcting the torpedo-defence compromises common to carriers of her generation.