Keeping fighters ready while assembling a carrier strike

A strike damages the enemy carrier without sinking it, prompting regret that another attack was not launched as soon as the target was found. An enemy scout meanwhile remains over the task group despite its combat air patrol. The patrol appears to improve defence without intercepting the scout, so the team plans to recover fighters and send them out on a counter-scout mission. Keeping two fighters ready on deck would speed that response. The present six deck slots are all needed to assemble the next strike, however, so those reserve fighters compete with the attack aircraft for space. More deck capacity would let the team prepare a strike while retaining fighters ready for defensive tasks.