Friedman's carrier study is comprehensive, though its treatment of British development is slightly American-centred. In 1926 the British government considered proposing a 23,000-ton carrier limit at the coming Geneva naval conference as another way to reduce defence costs. The Naval Air Section asked whether a Courageous-style arrangement could carry about fifty aircraft and make at least 30 knots at that displacement. More modern 120,000-shaft-horsepower machinery could improve speed, but the resulting ship would have weaker underwater protection than a contemporary submarine depot ship and decks vulnerable to relatively small bombs. The Director of Naval Construction preferred 24,000 tons and regarded 25,000 as the genuinely satisfactory allowance. The treaty number directly controlled the margin available for survivability and future development.
Notable Point · 12:04-13:18
A 23,000-ton carrier could meet speed and air-group goals but not protection
Friedman's study shows why a proposed 23,000-ton treaty limit could deliver roughly fifty aircraft and thirty knots yet still fall short in underwater and bomb protection.