Carrier survivability depended on the support environment in which the ship was expected to fight. American carriers were quicker to build and repair, while British armored carriers were harder to damage seriously but took longer to construct. British planning anticipated operations in the Mediterranean and Far East, where severe damage might require a return to Britain because Singapore or Indian repair facilities could be overloaded and specialized armor supplies came from home. Expected geography and logistics therefore shaped the design tradeoff.
Notable Point · 1:12:36-1:13:40
Carrier survivability reflects repair geography
A British-American carrier comparison links construction and armor choices to the distance from combat theaters to suitable repair infrastructure.