Q&A · 44:24-45:25

Why capital-ship losses accelerated the Implacable class

Four capital-ship losses during 1941, including three fast ships, sharpened the Royal Navy's need to accelerate the Implacable-class carriers.

Question

Did the Royal Navy accelerate the Implacable-class carriers after its heavy capital-ship losses?

Short answer

Yes; the 1941 losses, especially of fast capital ships, made the shortage of mobile fleet strength unmistakable.

Notes

The Royal Navy did accelerate the Implacable class. By early 1942, it had lost four battleships or battlecruisers during the previous year, and three had belonged to its relatively small fast-capital-ship force. The crisis was therefore more serious than the raw hull count suggests because it removed ships able to keep pace with Germany's fast battleships. Accelerating new carriers was one response to a fleet that suddenly recognized how badly its mobile striking strength had been reduced.