Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:42:17-1:43:00

Would avoiding the pause have brought the Malta carriers closer to completion?

Earlier completion of one carrier generation could free capacity for the next, but later orders would still depend on the war.

Alternate HistoryAudacious Class Aircraft CarriersImplacable Class Aircraft CarriersLight Fleet CarriersMalta Class Aircraft CarriersNaval Procurement
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Question

If the 1939 pause had not happened, might the Malta-class carriers have been built?

Short answer

They could have been much further advanced by the war's end, although the answer does not promise completion.

Notes

Earlier completion of the Implacables could have allowed work on the Audacious class to advance sooner. The answer then imagines the Maltas reaching a stage comparable with the historical Audacious programme by the end of the war, possibly further. This is presented as a possibility, not a firm prediction that the Maltas would be completed. A stronger fleet-carrier programme could also have delayed the decision to order light fleet carriers until war with Japan. The consequences depend on the success and timing of the preceding programmes.