Would converting HMS Tiger produce a proto-Ark Royal or only a better Courageous?
Short answerIf converted in the 1930s, Tiger could use Ark Royal-era design thinking and become a meaningful bridge beyond the Courageous conversions.
NotesA Tiger conversion undertaken after Courageous and Glorious could use the experience gained from those ships. The scenario assumes that the first London treaty allows an additional conversion outside the normal carrier-tonnage limit. Tiger was shorter than Courageous but wider and heavier, and new machinery could replace her much larger collection of boilers. Her beam would offer more hangar space, with a possible end-to-end hangar and an Ark Royal-style arrangement above the existing hull. The result is envisaged as a capable conversion shaped by the same design work as Ark Royal, with scope for alterations to make the older hull suitable.