Why distant stations demanded survivable carriers

A carrier intended for global service needed to limit damage rather than carry the largest possible air group. Gibraltar, Malta, Alexandria, and British yards gave the Mediterranean Fleet several repair options, but comparable heavy-repair infrastructure had not been built in Australia, India, or Singapore. A badly damaged Far Eastern carrier might therefore have to voyage back to Britain, making survivability an operational and logistical requirement. The design sought to keep aircraft, crews, and the ship functioning through combat air patrol, reconnaissance, anti-submarine work, and strike missions. Armor and hangar protection answered a constraint created by the British Empire's long maritime lines of communication.