Keeping one carrier forward requires at least three hulls and ideally four once transit, training, and maintenance are counted. A highly efficient system might generate two deployed ships from five, but continuous operations still demand rotation and time away from station. A single Italian, German, or Soviet carrier therefore creates a larger force-planning burden than its own hull count suggests. The defending navy must be ready whenever the raider chooses to sail, while the raider chooses its moment. A Soviet carrier based with the Northern or Pacific Fleet could tie down several opposing carriers even without matching them ship for ship.
Notable Point · 45:37-48:27
One deployed carrier requires several hulls
A single hostile carrier can force an opponent to maintain several carriers across deployment, training, transit, and maintenance cycles.