The conclusion rejects the idea that carriers only became capital ships during the Second World War. Interwar officers inherited several overlapping capital-ship categories, and important designers and admirals already treated the carrier as a fleet-defining asset. Its air group supplied reconnaissance, reach, and an ability to change weapons more readily than a gun-armed ship could change its main battery. This framing makes the carrier's information advantage as important as its later reputation for delivering massed air strikes.
Chapter · 2:00-3:25
Why interwar carriers already counted as capital ships
Information, range, and adaptable air groups made the aircraft carrier a capital ship before the Second World War proved its striking power.