If Eagle could not become a carrier, what alternatives and wartime effects follow?
Short answerAn R-class or Admiral-class hull could be converted, and more light fleet carriers would add useful flight decks across several operations.
NotesAvailable capital-ship hulls shape the conversion options, with an R-class battleship or an Admiral-class hull offered as likely alternatives to Eagle. The related light-carrier question turns the discussion from individual conversions to the value of additional flight decks. Continuing ships such as Unicorn and her proposed companions could add aircraft to Taranto, strengthen convoy aviation from 1940 onward, and possibly place a light carrier with Force Z. Even a modest air group could disrupt incoming strikes enough to change an operation without replacing a full fleet carrier.