Very large carriers are safer to assemble in a dry dock than launch down a slipway, and they need suitable docks throughout their service lives. A roughly 300-metre design would still have had several possible British docks, while the selected 284-metre length admitted additional facilities. Some of those docks would require infrastructure work before they could be used. Carrier dimensions therefore depend on the condition and availability of the national support network as well as the length of its largest dock.
Chapter · 27:06-30:57
How dry docks constrained carrier size
British dry-dock sizes and conditions constrained carrier dimensions and the number of facilities available for construction and maintenance.