The Royal Navy's early carrier force lacked a true strike carrier until Ark Royal, despite its experience with earlier conversions. In this counterfactual, the G3 program offers unusual flexibility: long-lead components existed, but construction had barely begun, so the design could still be reshaped around aviation requirements. The Admiral-class hulls were further along and would have required more extensive conversion work. An earlier decision would have given naval architects more freedom to lay out a carrier around flight operations.
Chapter · 2:03-5:11
G3 conversions and the Royal Navy's strike-carrier gap
This opening counterfactual asks how G3 conversions could have given the Royal Navy large strike carriers before Ark Royal.