Carrier size and fleet experience produced different measures of strength. Lexington and Saratoga were the largest and arguably the strongest interwar conversions, but their eight-inch batteries also reflected congressional reluctance to fund enough cruisers. The Royal Navy operated more carrier hulls around the world and repeatedly exercised them together. Three years of trials showed that assigning carrier coordination to the battlecruiser commander did not work because carriers had to manoeuvre for their own tasks. Creating a Rear Admiral Aircraft Carriers and a multi-carrier doctrine was the institutional response.
Notable Point · 31:31-33:39
Carrier size, hull numbers, and dedicated command
Britain led in carrier hulls and worldwide operating experience while the United States fielded the largest conversions, and British exercises drove the creation of dedicated carrier command.