The loss of Courageous and Glorious removed more than two flight decks at the moment Britain had too few carriers for global commitments. Surviving ships could have added strength at Taranto, during the Bismarck chase, and across Atlantic duties. Their worked-up air groups, damage-control teams, and carrier specialists would also have provided later wartime units with scarce experience. Argus was a more suitable ship for the lower-risk anti-submarine patrol duty assigned to Courageous.
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Why losing Courageous and Glorious mattered beyond two hulls
The early losses removed both operational flight decks and experienced carrier personnel who could have strengthened British operations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.