The Colossus-class light fleet carriers were designed to displace about 13,200 tons standard and make 25 knots from 40,000 shaft horsepower on two shafts. Their Unicorn-derived arrangement converted an aviation-support concept into a fighting carrier, but the ships still needed more than 1,000 crew and had little margin for future aircraft growth. The listed capacity of up to 52 aircraft reflected 1945 aircraft dimensions. Later jets and larger propeller aircraft needed more deck, hangar, and handling space, so the same hull carried fewer of them. A nominal air-group figure only makes sense when paired with the aircraft generation it describes. The Queen Elizabeth-class aside draws the broader design lesson: spare hull and deck capacity can preserve a useful air group as aircraft grow.
Notable Point · 5:53-9:00
Colossus-class dimensions expose the cost of aircraft growth
Carrier dimensions and machinery lead into a warning that larger postwar aircraft rapidly consume a ship's nominal air-group capacity.