Ark Royal's treaty compromises and an Implacable alternative

How fair is it to blame naval treaties for Ark Royal's loss, and would extra displacement have solved the problem?

Treaty-driven compromise mattered; more auxiliary power and Implacable-style underwater protection would make the same hit far less likely to sink the ship.

Ark Royal's loss followed from a chosen compromise within treaty constraints, rather than an unavoidable property of carriers. An extra displacement allowance could support auxiliary generators and a deeper protective system. Implacable's layered liquid-and-air compartments were intended to resist a large underwater charge. The same torpedo hit would therefore have been less likely to disable power and overwhelm the ship. Reserve electrical capacity and subdivision can determine whether one hit becomes fatal.