Victorious, Ark Royal, and Hermes embodied multi-carrier doctrine

A 1961 image of HMS Victorious, HMS Ark Royal, and HMS Hermes makes the Royal Navy's carrier numbers visible. The surrounding discussion also notes that several aircraft companies competed as naval jets developed. Planners could expect multiple carriers to cooperate and did not treat one ship alone in the Atlantic as the normal case. Those carriers also supplied global presence through deployments, port visits, and visible flying. Force size therefore influenced both tactical assumptions and Britain's international posture.