Why an escort carrier is not a small fleet carrier

HMS Archer illustrates the choices involved in adapting a merchant hull for carrier service. British objections to replacing used aviation fuel with seawater led to permanent ballast and a reduction in fuel capacity from about 85,000 to 40,000 gallons. Fuel-system arrangements and watertight subdivision also required attention, while American officials objected to the delay before the ships became operational. David Wragg's suggestion that an obvious solution was a scaled-down fleet carrier overlooks differences in patrol requirements. A carrier sustaining one or two aircraft on patrol for roughly a week has different needs from one maintaining larger patrols and alert aircraft continuously for 30 or 40 days. Those requirements determine how much aviation capacity the design must support. Earlier conversion work could have helped, but escort construction and other commitments competed for limited shipyard resources.