Malta's twin islands supported multicarrier command

British twin-island experiments predated the modern Queen Elizabeth class and extended back to pre-Hermes design studies. One early proposal placed islands on both sides of the flight path, creating an obvious hazard for pilots. On Malta, the arrangement had a more mature purpose: it created room for antennas, communications systems, and the command structure of multicarrier operations. The layout shows that the Royal Navy had considered coordinated carrier groups before learning from the Pacific War. Wartime evidence refined an existing operational ambition.