Britain's planned buildup could have produced a substantial Far Eastern force before a war with Japan. Its front-line carrier nucleus could include Ark Royal, Illustrious, Victorious, Indomitable, and Formidable, with Unicorn serving as a forward aviation support and maintenance ship. Implacable and Indefatigable might be entering service or working up, while Courageous and Glorious could remain as older supporting carriers in a world without their historical wartime losses. King George V-class battleships and modernized battlecruisers would provide a heavy surface screen. This was a counterfactual force derived from the construction programme, rather than a fleet that actually assembled. The layered tanker and forward-base system described next was intended to sustain a formation of this scale.
Chapter · 3:18:09-3:23:48
A planned Far East force built around five carriers and Unicorn
In a counterfactual 1942-43 Far Eastern war without the preceding European losses, Britain could have deployed five front-line carriers and Unicorn with modern battleships and rebuilt battlecruisers.