The Royal Navy wanted small cruiser carriers to provide reconnaissance, air support, and protection for independently operating cruisers. The Washington and London treaty ceiling of 135,000 total carrier tons collided with a separate requirement for at least six fleet carriers, making ships of roughly 22,000 to 23,000 tons more attractive than designs near the individual 27,000-ton limit. Existing ships such as Hermes and Argus, cruiser-launched aircraft, and the aviation-support ship Unicorn could cover pieces of the requirement. None supplied enough dedicated convoy air cover, so treaty arithmetic helped create the operational space later filled by merchant conversions.
Chapter · 12:10-16:55
Treaty limits squeezed out the cruiser-carrier role
British plans had to fit fleet carriers, reconnaissance, cruiser support, and convoy aviation inside treaty tonnage that could not cover every role.