The size bands used here are approximate working definitions. A small carrier means about 20 aircraft or fewer and less than 15,000 tons in the 1920s, compared with about 30 aircraft or fewer and less than 30,000 tons in the modern comparison. The Invincible class and Japanese aircraft-carrying destroyers are examples of the smaller category. Charles de Gaulle is treated as a light fleet carrier whose size, in this account, reflected a politically motivated choice of shipyard. France had the capacity to build a larger ship at its biggest yard, which underlies the expectation of a much larger successor in the May 2024 discussion.
Notable Point · 39:34-41:32
Carrier size categories depend on the era and the shipyard
Working definitions of small carriers change with aircraft size, while Invincible and Charles de Gaulle illustrate how doctrine and shipyard choices complicate simple tonnage comparisons.