Courageous and Glorious took trained officers and carrier damage-control specialists with them, thinning the pool available for later ships. This explanation treats that lost experience as one contributor to Ark Royal's sinking. An officer transferred from another type of warship could bring an instinct to avoid flooding when a top-heavy carrier required early counterflooding. A larger carrier force would provide more training posts and improve the chance of preserving that specialist knowledge.
Notable Point · 1:47:29-1:48:47
Carrier losses also erase damage-control experience
The losses of Courageous and Glorious removed specialist carrier knowledge, while a larger fleet could sustain a broader damage-control training base.