Q&A · 3:06:31-3:09:49

A carrier fleet needs a mission before a deployment plan

A hypothetical forty-carrier Royal Navy is used to show that fleet numbers only become meaningful once the intended mission and opponent are clear.

Question

How would a much larger post-war British carrier fleet be deployed?

Short answer

Its deployment would depend on the opponent and mission; deterrence favours regional presence, while war favours concentration.

Notes

The hypothetical fleet totals about 39 carriers, or 40 with Unicorn, but its deployment depends on the mission and opponent that justify such an investment. For deterrence, one suggested arrangement places major fleet-carrier groups in the Indian Ocean and Home Fleet, with the Centaurs in the Mediterranean. Colossus and Majestic carriers could operate in four-ship groups associated with Canada, South America, South Africa, Australia and the Home Fleet. Those dispositions are provisional examples rather than a single prescribed organisation. Fighting a major war would instead require concentration against the enemy, and the availability of accompanying capital ships would also matter.