How would a Royal Navy with additional interwar capital ships affect its position by 1939?
Short answerIt could deploy stronger forces in the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean and strengthen Force H. A fuller answer depends on foreign reactions, treaty arrangements, and the aircraft carriers built along the way.
NotesMore ships would allow larger forces in the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean and a stronger Force H. Other countries would respond to greater British strength, while any treaty system would affect what could be built. A fleet with only Hermes and Ark Royal skips the carrier development that would connect those designs. One speculative possibility is a British carrier approaching the Yorktown type, perhaps with deck-edge lifts. Its design and timing depend on the treaty assumptions. Assessing the proposed fleet therefore requires more than a count of additional capital ships.