A 75-metre dry dock at Penzance illustrates the dimensional problem: many docks exist, but very few can accept a carrier. A government-owned naval facility can schedule ships around operational need, subject to constraints such as tides. A commercial dock may contain an unfinished project that cannot simply be moved. Reliance on commercial facilities therefore makes dock availability part of deployment and refit planning.
Chapter · 37:33-39:10
Carrier-sized dry docks determine maintenance and readiness
Carrier maintenance needs a correctly sized dock whose availability can be built into operational plans.