Were British armoured carriers dangerously top-heavy?

Did the armoured carriers' top weight give them an unsafe metacentric height?

Top weight had to be accommodated in the design, and counterflooding restored Indomitable after torpedo damage. These examples do not settle the wider stability question, which Jamie leaves beyond his engineering expertise.

Indomitable took an immediate list of about eleven degrees after a torpedo hit during Operation Husky. Her captain disliked counterflooding, but admitted water to restore an even keel and bring the ship home. Alex argues that armour and aviation facilities imposed necessary top weight which naval architects had to accommodate. Damage-control instructions required caution because excessive counterflooding could make a ship seesaw, affect electrical systems, and create further problems. They still allowed flooding when necessary. Ark Royal and Franklin provide comparisons beyond the armoured carriers, with Franklin's firefighting water contributing to her heel. Jamie acknowledges that he lacks the engineering expertise to settle the metacentric-height criticism, so these examples do not provide a complete stability assessment.