How an escort carrier's air group follows its mission — Bruships 73: Some Old, Some New, None Borrowed, but Some Blue at 30:31

Question

What air groups might escort carriers have carried if the war had continued?

Short answer

The answer retains anti-submarine aircraft for an Atlantic escort role but expects fighter-bombers if escort carriers shifted toward Pacific strike tasks.

Notes

The answer keeps Swordfish relevant where German submarines still make convoy escort the central task. Helicopters are also considered as a possible extension of the anti-submarine mission if development continued. If the remaining war is against Japan, it instead expects escort carriers to be used more as strike carriers with fighter-bombers such as Seafires. The comparison shows why aircraft complements must follow the operational problem rather than the ship type alone.