Implacable's uncertain design record

The Implacable class presents a problem of contradictory evidence rather than missing evidence. HMS Unicorn has similarly messy archival statistics, but later light fleet carrier records clarify much of its story. Audacious-class work offers no equivalent solution because designers returned to the broader study behind Illustrious, Implacable, and, to an extent, Unicorn. A small naval-constructor corps faced wartime demands across thousands of ships and hundreds of programs, which made reuse of the major 1937-1938 carrier study practical. Displacement, hangar, and capacity figures therefore need to be treated as estimates rather than settled facts.