The years 1945-50 were a period of consolidation during the transition to jet aviation. The Royal Navy had been accelerating since the late 1930s and then fighting continuously, so it needed to repair worn ships, reduce the wartime fleet, and digest accumulated lessons. Early jets brought higher approach speeds and new maintenance demands before navies had settled on safe deck arrangements or reliable operating cycles. Carrier aviation still valued air superiority, but the growing importance of radar and payload was already challenging a gun-only fighter model. The cautious transition reflected a fleet-wide reorganisation as much as reluctance to buy a new technology.
Chapter · 44:15-49:31
Why carrier jets arrived gradually
Early jets offered speed, but postwar navies still had to solve approach speeds, deck arrangements, maintenance, and the wider reorganisation of wartime fleets.