Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:45:57-1:50:42

Why a 161,000-ton Queen Elizabeth carrier needs a mission

Scaling Queen Elizabeth far beyond American supercarrier size makes the operational rationale and fleet budget more important than the dimensions themselves.

Aircraft CarriersAlternate HistoryCATOBARFleet EconomicsNaval ArchitectureQueen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers
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Question

What would a 1,232-foot, 161,200-ton Queen Elizabeth-class carrier be like?

Short answer

It would need a CATOBAR mission and an air wing that justified its size, while its cost could leave Britain unable to sustain much of a fleet alongside it.

Notes

The proposal specifies a 1,232-foot hull, 240-foot overall beam, 228-foot waterline beam, 40-foot draught, and 161,200-ton displacement. Compared with the dimensions cited for Queen Elizabeth, it adds about 300 feet of length and 100 feet of waterline beam while leaving overall beam unchanged. The stated displacement is assumed to be at full load. A ship of this size is expected to use catapults and arrested recovery rather than remain a V/STOL carrier. Its mission and aircraft requirements would need to justify the enlargement. The panel also questions how Britain could afford the carrier alongside the rest of a fleet and sustain both.