The proposed British programme keeps smaller Courageous-class conversions while using a 27,500-ton new design as a practical middle course. This size could support a decent air group and useful protection without committing the fleet entirely to very large ships. An early design would probably place its strength and armour deck below the hangar, preserving the hull if the upper carrier structure suffered bomb damage. Repeated construction at that displacement would give the Royal Navy several design generations before the Second World War, trading maximum individual size for a sustainable three-fleet force.
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A British 27,500-ton carrier programme
A 27,500-ton British new build offers a compromise between carrier numbers, useful air groups, and the protection of later armoured designs.