Keeping the carriers in action required repeated negotiation for American supplies while replacement parts traveled the great distance from British industry. Political friction around Admiral Ernest King complicated that dependence, but geography alone imposed a severe logistical burden. Facilities in Sydney and elsewhere in Australia possessed much of the planned capability in raw form, yet they had not matured to the efficiency or scale the fleet required. The people involved were trying their best; the problem was the time needed to turn nominal infrastructure into a functioning support system. Fleet endurance depended on repair capacity, spares, and allied supply relationships as much as combat performance.
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Distance and immature bases constrained the British Pacific Fleet
The carrier squadron depended on American supplies because British spares crossed an enormous distance and Australian support facilities had not yet reached the efficiency required for sustained operations.