The final implication reaches beyond Britain. Treaty categories shape what states can build and what they consider prestigious, so a twelve-thousand-ton carrier could compete with the ten-thousand-ton cruiser as a status ship. Its novelty, greater displacement, and visible aircraft might make the type attractive even to navies whose immediate operational requirement was uncertain. Japanese, French, Italian, German, American, and Soviet responses would then become part of the scenario, with Britain no longer innovating in isolation.
Notable Point · 1:49:05-1:50:22
Scout carriers as a new treaty-era status ship
If the treaty system recognizes scout carriers, they could become desirable national symbols alongside cruisers and prompt other navies to pursue similar ships.