Penelope appears to have lost her aircraft by the 1942 configuration pictured, although the timing is inferred partly from the absence of further references to aircraft operations. A cruiser's need for its own aircraft depended on where she served. In the Pacific, Indian Ocean, and South Atlantic, carrying an aircraft could be much more useful. In the Mediterranean, North Sea, and North Atlantic, a nearby cruiser might have a spotter aircraft, or a carrier or shore base might supply air support. Removing the aircraft released space and tonnage for additional anti-aircraft guns that were more useful in those operating conditions.
Notable Point · 9:47-10:34
Trading cruiser aircraft for anti-aircraft guns
Access to other ships' aircraft and land-based aviation reduced the need for a cruiser to carry its own aircraft, freeing space and weight for anti-aircraft guns.