How well did British armoured carriers adapt when wartime conditions pushed them beyond their intended battle-carrier role?
Short answerThey adapted effectively, with Illustrious applying pre-war night-strike practice and the reliable Swordfish to deliver the surprise attack on Taranto.
NotesArk Royal's operations near Genoa helped draw attention westward while Illustrious approached Taranto without serious interference. The Swordfish suited the Royal Navy's requirement for a stable, dependable aircraft that could navigate at night and deliver a useful load. Reliability mattered because crews flew by moonlight, maps, dead reckoning, and the feel of the aircraft without modern navigation aids. Faster successors could offer better paper performance yet still fail if they could not be trusted through a long night mission. Repeated peacetime night attacks on Malta had already practiced the central skill that Taranto demanded.