Carrier designs reflected strike and sustained-operation doctrines

Ark Royal was not simply a British version of a Pacific carrier. American and Japanese carriers were oriented toward large alpha strikes, while British doctrine divided work among cruiser-escort carriers, fleet carriers providing protection and repeated attacks, and strike carriers held for a concentrated blow. Those requirements encouraged different compromises in air-group size, protection, and operational endurance. The Audacious class was Britain's later attempt to combine a large strike capacity with armour.