The Royal Navy's dream carrier balance

Implacable came closest to the Royal Navy's prewar carrier ideal: a roughly 27,000-ton design with useful aircraft space, strong protection, and enough survivability for service far from home. Its hangar footprint resembled Ark Royal's, while its armor and defensive firepower followed the Illustrious approach. That balance had appeared repeatedly in British carrier studies during the 1920s and 1930s, although hull forms evolved through testing and later knowledge. Armored carriers did not reflect a lack of interest in naval aviation. They were intended to keep air groups alive while serving in the South China Sea and Mediterranean, as well as the North Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and Pacific.