Why the Mediterranean favoured armoured carriers

Malta convoy operations exposed British carriers to land-based aircraft, even when the carrier force turned back at the Sicilian Straits. Alex connects the Royal Navy's willingness to operate under that threat with ships designed to absorb damage and continue fighting. He extends the comparison to Ark Royal, whose flight deck acted as a strength deck and whose flight-deck and hangar levels used substantial steel despite her different protection scheme. He also argues that aggressive operations helped the dispersed British fleet maintain psychological dominance over a more locally concentrated Italian Navy. In the Far East, distance from major repair facilities gave survivability another practical value.