Hermes exceeded her nominal 25-knot speed during trials, reaching 26.2 knots, but carried only about 2,000 tons of fuel oil. A successor did not have to retain that fuel capacity. Standard displacement counted the fully crewed, armed, and equipped ship while excluding fuel and reserve boiler feed water. Carrying more fuel therefore need not consume the ship's declared standard-displacement allowance. The proposed redesign could address endurance alongside the reductions in machinery and armament weight.
Notable Point · 25:03-26:10
Fuel exclusions give a Hermes successor room for greater endurance
The treaty definition excludes fuel and reserve boiler feed water, so the next small carrier need not inherit Hermes's limited fuel capacity.