Keeping carrier construction active was unlikely to cripple Britain’s emergency escort programme. Early Flower-class corvettes, River-class frigates, and Hunt-class destroyers might instead have entered service two or three months later. The main competition would occur in fitting-out yards and berthing space because carriers and escorts generally used different slipways, machinery, and armour supplies. Guns created some overlap, but existing stocks and large wartime orders limited the effect. The relevant bottleneck was fitting-out capacity rather than total tonnage.
Notable Point · 40:21-41:49
The limited escort cost of keeping carriers under construction
Continuing British carrier construction might delay some escorts by months through fitting-out congestion, but it would not consume the same slipways, engines, or armour.