The Royal Navy regarded aviation petrol aboard cruisers as a serious fire hazard, giving a carrier attached to the squadron a safety role as well as an air role. It could hold fuel and spares, receive cruiser floatplanes for maintenance, and send replacement aircraft back to the ships. During the hunt leading to the Battle of the River Plate, this support would have kept aircraft from depending on distant bases such as the Falklands for every repair or spare part. The carrier thus turns scattered cruiser aviation into a more sustainable reconnaissance system.
Notable Point · 1:18:58-1:20:48
A carrier becomes the cruiser squadron's aviation workshop
A small carrier could remove aviation fuel from cruisers and maintain or replace their seaplanes, making reconnaissance more reliable on distant stations.