Interwar Royal Navy thinking distinguished several carrier roles. A strike carrier such as Ark Royal was intended to deliver a concentrated blow, including attacks on an enemy fleet in harbor. Fleet carriers such as Illustrious, Furious, and Eagle supplied persistent combat air patrol, reconnaissance, and strike capability close to the battle fleet. A naval-standard cruiser carrier could scout and operate forward, with Hermes offered as an example. Merchant-derived escort carriers belonged beneath that concept and emphasized convoy escort and ferry work. The taxonomy shows why displacement alone cannot explain how a navy expected to use a carrier.
Chapter · 50:35-53:09
Strike, fleet, cruiser, and escort carrier roles
The reconstructed British carrier taxonomy distinguishes ships by operational purpose, explaining why different flight decks had different jobs.