A fleet made by converting every available cruiser would lack enough pilots and aircraft to fill its decks. It would also lose the cruisers and capital ships needed to screen carriers and provide layered defense. British night-flying proficiency added capability but made pilot qualification slower. Fleet aviation is therefore an institutional system of people, aircraft, escorts, and training rather than a hull-count shortcut.
Notable Point · 40:17-41:36
Why converting every cruiser into a carrier fails
Carrier hull numbers cannot substitute for pilots, aircraft, escorts, and a sustainable training system.