Q&A · 1:21:46-1:24:27

A loaned US carrier and the Taranto strike

A carrier-loan counterfactual uses one extra flight deck to rearrange Force H and magnify Taranto.

Question

How might the Royal Navy use six months of a US carrier loan in late 1940 or early 1941?

Short answer

A 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.

Notes

The 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.