A balanced fleet for several threats

The Royal Navy could not assume in advance which threat would begin the next war or which theatre would demand the fastest response. British plans expected Singapore to contain Japan and Gibraltar, Suez, and Alexandria to constrain Italy, while Germany created the clearest demand for a large convoy-escort force. Germany also fielded surface raiders, so the fleet needed carriers and capital ships as well as anti-submarine escorts. Carrier aircraft were expected to find and slow a raider for the capital ship to finish, because their ability to sink a manoeuvring, defended warship had not yet been proved in combat. Italy and Japan required cruisers, carriers, and other capabilities suited to the Mediterranean and Pacific. The resulting programme was a balance of risks, rather than a refusal to recognize the U-boat danger.