The case for an Admiral-class carrier conversion

Was the Admiral-class ship laid down at Cammell Laird the likely carrier-conversion candidate?

Possibly; the yard's claimed carrier expertise makes that hull the best fit, though the evidence remains circumstantial.

An internal Royal Navy document calls Cammell Laird the most experienced and knowledgeable yard for large carrier construction and conversion when justifying the Ark Royal contract. That description makes Howe, the Admiral-class hull laid down there, a possible explanation for experience otherwise difficult to account for. Applying the treaty improvement allowance suggests a carrier of roughly 36,000 tons. The conversion theory remains circumstantial, with no decisive document proving it and insufficient evidence for publication as a firm conclusion.