Escort carriers had a pre-war intellectual history. Royal Navy and US Navy planners had already considered merchant conversions, Pacific logistics, and missions that did not justify tying up fleet carriers. First World War aviation ships supplied precedents, and several navies studied conversion criteria during the interwar years. Wartime implementation moved quickly because earlier decisions and internal debates had settled much of the concept. Small carriers entered service with planned roles even in navies that preferred larger fleet carriers.
Chapter · 2:08-7:59
Escort carriers as pre-war planning
The opening reframes escort carriers as pre-war naval planning rather than a purely improvised wartime answer.