How many Illustrious-class carriers could Britain have built?

How many 23,000-ton carriers could the Royal Navy have built if it had begun mass production from the 1937 study?

Potentially four per year and roughly 36 over the war, though an earlier Ark Royal-derived design might have offered a different balance of air group and protection.

The estimate allows Britain to order roughly four 23,000-ton carriers per year while sustaining the rest of its program, potentially producing about 36 during the war. Starting with the 1934 studies might instead have yielded an Ark Royal-derived design. Illustrious displaced more despite carrying fewer aircraft because armor, subdivision, and survivability consumed the difference.