Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 35:32-36:15

Without naval treaties, carrier fleets converge on large and small types

Treaty-free carrier development is expected to resemble the Midway, Audacious, and Malta concepts rather than preserve a sharp armored-versus-unarmored divide.

Aircraft CarriersAudacious Class Aircraft CarriersCarrier DesignMalta Class Aircraft CarriersMidway Class Aircraft CarriersNaval Arms Control
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Question

Without naval treaties, would navies still distinguish armored carriers from other first-line carriers?

Short answer

Probably not in the same way; fleets would tend toward large Midway-, Audacious-, or Malta-like carriers plus smaller supporting types.

Notes

Major navies would likely move toward large carriers resembling the Midway, Audacious, or Malta classes. The treaty framework helped force designers into sharper distinctions among limited carrier categories. Without those constraints, the Royal Navy would field larger and smaller carriers rather than separate strike and fleet types. American development would likewise follow a less constrained path than the historical treaty-driven sequence.