The proposed division of labour gives Midway and Essex carriers the fleet-fighting role assigned to the Illustrious class in 1930s Royal Navy doctrine. USS United States would provide the strike component, comparable to the role intended for HMS Ark Royal. Ark Royal could also defend herself and coordinate her own air group, abilities CVA-58 lacked in this comparison. That limitation makes CVA-58 resemble an arsenal ship: a platform carrying powerful long-range striking weapons while depending on other ships for command and protection. Its value therefore rested on the combined carrier force's capabilities.
Notable Point · 7:16-8:20
Fleet carriers, strike carriers, and the arsenal-ship comparison
Midway and Essex carriers would handle the fleet fight while CVA-58 supplied the strike component, in a comparison with Illustrious-class carriers and Ark Royal in 1930s British doctrine.