At about 22,000 standard tons, Ark Royal sat well below the nominal 27,000-ton carrier ceiling. Another one or two thousand tons could have bought roughly 32 knots, stronger deck protection, and better defenses against torpedoes and submarines. Royal Navy exercises had already shown that carriers and capital ships would attract submarine attack, while carrier aircraft could provide organic anti-submarine scouting. The ship was intended as Britain's long-range strike carrier for the Far East and would remain uniquely important until older conversions left the treaty account. Hopes that Britain could lead disarmament by example turned peace policy into a design constraint. Designers also considered deck-edge lifts that could have increased hangar area, but rejected the development delay, another choice between immediate delivery and future operating efficiency.
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Ark Royal left treaty tonnage unused
Ark Royal was an effective strike carrier, but a modest increase toward the treaty limit could have bought speed and better underwater protection for a uniquely important ship.