Genuinely novel First World War seaplane-carrier experiments differed from later conversions undertaken after the military requirement was already understood. By the Second World War, aircraft carriers, forward aviation support, and aviation logistics were established requirements rather than untested concepts. CAM ships, MAC ships, escort carriers, and Atlantic Conveyor represent different emergency responses to aviation capacity that peacetime fleets had not provided in sufficient numbers. Treaties, alliance assumptions, closed infrastructure, and reluctance to fund contingency plans all contributed to the shortfall. Escort carriers built on merchant hulls may have been a rational way to expand quickly, but the lack of ready building and conversion plans still reveals how preparation lagged behind doctrine.
Chapter · 8:34-12:36
Why rapid aviation conversions signal a preparedness gap
The opening argument treats emergency aviation conversions as evidence that navies had recognized recurring needs without funding enough specialist ships before war.