CVA-58's flush flight deck came with severe operational compromises. The carrier lacked an island and would have needed an entire command ship to support it. It could operate as the strike carrier within a conventional carrier battle group only while the other carriers assisted it. The accompanying command ship would probably also have served as the task force command ship. These dependencies help explain the criticism of the design even when its long-range striking power is judged valuable.
Notable Point · 6:16-7:16
CVA-58 depended on other carriers and a command ship
CVA-58's lack of an island and dependence on supporting ships gave reasons to question its design independently of the dispute over naval nuclear bombing.