A hybrid battleship-carrier would place large quantities of aviation fuel in a broad, targetable flight-deck area while expecting the ship to enter a surface gunfight. Arranging the hull for the battleship role could also reduce the space and geometry available for effective aircraft operations. Combining the two roles would expose the aviation facilities in battle while compromising their usefulness. The comparison with a spar torpedo is deliberately severe: both ideas impose high risk on the crews expected to operate them when the underlying military situation has already gone badly.
Notable Point · 23:45-24:45
Why hybrid battleship-carriers compound design risk
The hybrid concept exposes aviation fuel and flight operations to the demands of a surface gunfight, while battleship requirements restrict the aircraft facilities.