Q&A · 2:17:16-2:18:46

Would larger British carriers carry larger air wings?

A question about Royal Navy carrier air groups leads to the tradeoff among ship numbers, armor, displacement, and aircraft capacity.

Question

Would larger, less restricted Royal Navy carriers have carried bigger air wings?

Short answer

Yes; removing total-tonnage pressure and allowing larger hulls would reduce the historical tradeoff between armored protection and aircraft capacity.

Notes

Historical British choices were constrained by total treaty tonnage: six hulls within the allowance meant ships of roughly 22,000 to 23,000 tons. On that displacement, designers had to choose between the larger air group of Ark Royal and the armored protection of the Illustrious class. A 35,000-ton design with no cumulative cap could carry both substantial armor and perhaps ninety to one hundred aircraft. The American air group might remain larger because U.S. designers would devote less weight to protection. Britain would nevertheless escape the treaty-driven choice between survivability and a useful striking force.