The Dunkerque class shows that France possessed machinery concepts and hull dimensions from which a fast carrier could plausibly have been developed. Major-warship construction across several yards also indicates that battleship work occupied only part of the available capacity. Four or more other yards had handled cruiser or capital-ship construction and retained useful skills after World War I. France chose battleships while other facilities capable of large construction remained available or underused.
Notable Point · 1:27:00-1:31:19
France had yards available for carrier construction
Treaty limits and industrial capacity did not make follow-on carriers impossible; French choices left suitable large-ship yards unused.