Why the MAC ship had many plausible inventors

The MAC ship joined two ideas already in circulation: converting merchant hulls into small carriers and protecting ocean convoys from the Atlantic air gap. Earlier merchant conversions, CAM ships, and treaty-era planning had already established most of the necessary building blocks. Cargo ships were making the Atlantic passage anyway, so adding a small aviation capability directly linked scarce aircraft to the convoys that needed them. The design was a logical response that several naval, aviation, and transport specialists could reach independently, rather than one inventor's flash of inspiration.