British carrier doctrine for persistent air threats and night battle

British carrier doctrine had to cover the South China Sea, Mediterranean, and Atlantic, where land-based aircraft created a persistent threat alongside enemy carriers. Fleet carriers maintained the air and reconnaissance screen, cruiser carriers watched the flanks, and the strike carrier remained a concentrated reserve. Against Japan, forward scouting was intended to detect a flanking carrier force before it could launch. Aircraft such as the Fairey Swordfish could perform several tasks, including an unusual low-speed form of dive-bombing. Once the enemy was found, torpedo-spotter-reconnaissance aircraft and other available machines could mount a massed night strike. Damaged and disordered enemy ships would then face renewed air attack or a closing British battle line at dawn. These requirements produced air groups and carrier designs different from American and Japanese solutions for a more carrier-centered Pacific contest.