Fleet Air Arm aircraft and carrier choices reflected plans for sustained fighting in the Mediterranean and the western Pacific littorals. British planners expected an ongoing contest under land-based air attack rather than a single isolated fleet engagement. American and Japanese carriers were organized more strongly around launching a concentrated full-wing strike in a discrete central-Pacific battle. Both solutions follow coherent operational geography, which is why comparing carrier designs without their expected theater and tempo can produce misleading rankings.
Notable Point · 38:52-41:03
Carrier design follows geography and expected battle tempo
British carriers emphasized continuous operations under land-based air threat, while American and Japanese designs favored a concentrated alpha strike.