How might the Royal Navy use six months of a US carrier loan in late 1940 or early 1941?
Short answerA Yorktown-class carrier could cover Force H while Ark Royal joined Illustrious for a much larger Taranto strike, potentially producing major knock-on effects across the Mediterranean war.
NotesThe American ship's most important contribution would be freeing Ark Royal rather than simply adding another carrier to the same formation. A doubled or tripled Taranto air group could damage more Italian capital ships, change subsequent fleet support, and alter the pressure on later Mediterranean operations.