Q&A ยท 1:02:36-1:03:53

HMS Glorious and the cost of ignoring carrier doctrine

Glorious was caught by German battleships after operating without the reconnaissance and escort practices British carrier doctrine normally required.

Question

Does the sinking of HMS Glorious show that carriers were routinely vulnerable to surface ships?

Short answer

It shows the danger of abandoning carrier doctrine: Glorious lacked airborne reconnaissance and appropriate supporting presence when Scharnhorst and Gneisenau found it.

Notes

The loss of Glorious proves that surface ships could catch a carrier. The reply treats the sinking as an exceptional failure to follow established safeguards. The carrier had no effective airborne search and lacked the cruiser accompaniment that might have demanded one. Normal reconnaissance and supporting arrangements were intended to prevent Scharnhorst and Gneisenau from achieving such surprise. Explanations built around undocumented secret tasks remain less persuasive than the visible departure from doctrine.