Cruiser carriers spread naval aviation across distant stations

The alternate deployment model assigns small carriers to stations least easily reinforced by fleet carriers at home or in the Mediterranean. One option attaches a carrier to four cruisers. Another gives a vice admiral an enlarged squadron of six cruisers and two carriers, with a rear admiral responsible for the carrier division. In operations, this force could divide into groups of three cruisers and one carrier. Six British carriers, plus a possible Australian ship, could sustain one operational carrier on the South Atlantic, East Indies, and China stations while their partners refitted. Four further British carriers would fall under home command, with perhaps one or two active while the others underwent major work. Local facilities at Durban or Freetown, in India, at Singapore, and in Australia could handle minor maintenance. This structure gives cruiser commanders reconnaissance aircraft and sustained trade-protection coverage.