Could Ark Royal have been kept for the Falklands?

Could Ark Royal have been kept in service for a few more years if planning began in 1960?

Possibly under changed maintenance and deployment assumptions, but the reply doubts that her condition and the wider cost of sustaining the air group make this a practical choice.

One proposal retains Ark Royal for several more years to bring Buccaneers into the campaign. The reply stresses the ship's hard use and the need to retain the aircraft and supporting organization as well as the hull. A participant argues that planning from 1960 could reduce that wear through better maintenance and a less demanding schedule. The objection is that real commitments during the 1960s repeatedly made the available carrier the asset that had to respond. The discussion distinguishes twenty-four years in service from age measured from the 1950 launch. It also acknowledges the extensive 1967-1970 refit while disputing whether that work amounted to the complete rebuild needed for a much longer life. No agreement is reached that retaining her would be more practical than building larger Invincibles.