The comparison uses a contemporary Institution of Naval Architects reference to put the carriers on a common statistical footing. Its published figures stay close to their as-built configurations, which makes cross-national comparison easier than mixing specifications from later refits. Warships rarely remain exactly as completed. Governments and navies authorize alterations, while crews and individual sailors make practical changes of their own. This caveat separates a controlled design comparison from the many configurations a ship may display during its service life.
Notable Point · 0:37-1:51
Contemporary data needs a warship-modification caveat
A standardized 1934 reference puts carriers on common footing, but its as-built figures cannot capture every later alteration by governments, navies, crews, and sailors.