The claim that Malta was merely a copied Midway design mistakes parallel development for imitation. Both were large carriers conceived once treaty restrictions no longer set the ceiling, but Malta grew from a separate British sequence of studies dating from the mid-1930s. Their resemblance came from similar strategic and technological pressures. Any useful comparison has to keep the two national design histories distinct.
Chapter · 1:38-3:08
Why Malta was not simply a British Midway
The Malta class is often compared with the American Midways, but this opening separates a superficial resemblance from the Royal Navy's own design history.