Q&A · 3:08:54-3:11:21

What eight Midway-class carriers would change in 1939

Replacing Britain's 1939 carriers with Midway-class ships would transform carrier concentration, but aircraft supply would become the limiting factor.

Question

What changes if every Royal Navy carrier in October 1939 becomes a Midway-class carrier?

Short answer

Britain gains an enormous multi-carrier capability, but supplying enough suitable aircraft becomes the central constraint.

Notes

The Midway class was not the exact ship the Royal Navy would have designed, yet its armor and size made it far more compatible with British needs than an Essex. Eight such ships would enable powerful multi-carrier operations and could radically enlarge strikes such as Taranto. Air-group availability would become the new bottleneck, possibly forcing earlier British aircraft orders from the United States.