Mediterranean basing could change carrier employment

The Mediterranean was an island war, making mobile workshops, spares, and stores useful for establishing aviation facilities on Crete and elsewhere. Because the technical infrastructure already existed aboard the support ships, shore units would not have to manufacture every capability from scratch. The counterfactual then moves into early carrier employment: more seaplane-based anti-submarine patrols might allow the Royal Navy to deploy one fleet carrier instead of two to a hunting group. Concentrating the available escorts around that carrier could alter the risks faced by HMS Courageous, HMS Glorious, or HMS Ark Royal. These survivals remain possibilities, since even a small force change begins to reshape many connected operations.