The Royal Navy was not intellectually uniform. The contrast between Ark Royal and the Illustrious class reveals competing ideas about fleet support, independent operations, survivability, and concentrated striking power. British planners expected aircraft performance to improve but did not assume contemporary bombs could reliably sink warships. Torpedoes offered a proven way to make fatal holes, based partly on First World War experience. That uncertainty kept the Swordfish and torpedo attack central without showing hostility to aviation innovation.
Notable Point · 31:18-33:08
Carrier debate inside the interwar Royal Navy
Competing carrier concepts show an institution debating aircraft limits and future potential rather than following one rigid doctrine.