Q&A ยท 19:09-20:48

Five Lexington-scale conversions transform Royal Navy carrier strength

An alternate carrier fleet gives the Royal Navy much larger air groups aboard Eagle, Furious, Argus, Courageous, and Glorious.

Question

How would the Second World War change if every Royal Navy carrier conversion became a Lexington-style carrier?

Short answer

The Royal Navy would gain five powerful strike carriers with substantially larger air groups, producing a very different carrier war.

Notes

The counterfactual replaces five British carrier conversions with Lexington-style ships using British weapons, equipment, and aircraft. The resulting increase in air-group capacity would be a major improvement even though the vessels would not follow the later British armored-carrier pattern. Argus, Furious, and Eagle in particular become much more capable wartime assets.