Q&A · 1:13:49-1:14:41

What a viable Béarn carrier rebuild needs

A carrier-rebuild answer puts speed first, then flight-deck and recovery improvements.

Question

How could Béarn be made into a decent aircraft carrier?

Short answer

Give her substantially more speed and improve the flight deck, catapults and arresting arrangements, while accepting the limits of her basic hull.

Notes

The rebuild would begin by replacing the machinery to gain several knots, because wind over the deck and the ability to operate with a fleet are basic carrier requirements. It would then extend and reshape the flight deck, add accelerators or catapults, and improve the arresting arrangements. Those changes would make aircraft launch and recovery more practical. Béarn's inherited flight-deck and hangar dimensions would remain hard constraints that even a major refit could not erase.