Carrier fuel reserves and protection in the Coral Sea comparison

If American carriers were already near their range limits around the Coral Sea, would British carriers be even closer to running out?

The concern also depends on fuel-tank protection and use: American protection arrangements imposed cautions that complicate a direct comparison of published ranges.

The follow-up notes that older American carriers were already pushing their endurance during Coral Sea operations. That raises a sharper concern for a British substitute with less published range. Clarke replies that protection arrangements forced the American ships to be careful about certain fuel tanks, even when they carried ship fuel oil. The usable fuel position therefore needs closer examination than a comparison of maximum ranges alone provides.