Fast oilers designed for escort-carrier conversion

The proposal calls for a production line of fast oilers whose funnels and internal arrangement anticipate a later flight deck and hangar. Routing the uptakes along the starboard side would leave space for a flight deck and island during a rapid conversion. Such ships could remain useful tankers initially, then sacrifice part of their fuel capacity to become combined escort carriers and fuel carriers when required. British planners had already considered conversion-ready merchant designs, so the idea fits contemporary thinking without assuming wartime foreknowledge. Building them in Australia, South Africa, India, and Canada would distribute both logistics capacity and a reserve of aviation-capable hulls.