A layered interwar carrier fleet

Capability differences would encourage clearer specialization. Furious and Eagle could replenish or support the big carriers, Hermes could continue cruiser-carrier duties on distant stations, and Argus might be sacrificed earlier to treaty tonnage. The Abyssinia Crisis shows why the distinction matters: historically, nearly every available carrier became a potential front-line unit because their capabilities remained within reach of one another, whereas two much larger Admirals would make role specialization harder to ignore. Only Furious was fast enough to accompany the Admiral conversions directly, making replacement-aircraft support a more convincing use than asking her smaller air group to duplicate their strike role. Treaty totals would still force difficult choices, and Lexington and Saratoga's declared displacement of exactly the permitted 37,000 tons draws pointed scepticism.