The losses of Courageous and Glorious removed carrier hulls along with trained crews and specialists who could not be recreated on a shipbuilding timetable. Britain was already constructing as much as its wartime capacity allowed, although the planned 1942 light-fleet-carrier program and the incomplete Unicorn offered possible starting points. For the immediate European war, full fleet carriers offer armour, protection, and survivability better suited to encounters with fast battleships. Light fleet carriers become more compelling when the operational problem shifts to the far greater distances of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Notable Point · 13:13-15:38
Carrier losses consume irreplaceable experience
The loss of Courageous and Glorious matters as much for trained crews as for hull numbers, while European conditions favor protected fleet carriers over light carriers.