Why did Force Z not have an aircraft carrier, and what difference could one have made?
Short answerNo suitable carrier was available; even a small carrier could have broken up attacks and connected Force Z with Singapore's fighter defense.
NotesNo British carrier accompanied Prince of Wales and Repulse because losses, damage, refits, and higher-priority warfighting assignments had exhausted the available force. The absence did not reflect a doctrine that rejected fighter protection. Even one additional carrier probably would have joined the deterrent force. Its fighters could have disrupted the Japanese bomber formations and established active communication with land-based fighters at Singapore. That link might also have prevented a misunderstanding in which the navy interpreted the lack of strike support as meaning that no fighter help was available. A small carrier air group could therefore change both the tactical defense and the wider command-and-control picture.