A tender could establish a forward aviation base where merchant ships delivered aircraft and supplies. Its workshops could start assembling and repairing aircraft before Unicorn arrived to carry them onward. That arrangement would reduce the work falling on the maintenance carrier and shorten its journey back to a support base. The tender base could move forward as operations advanced across the Pacific. Short Sunderlands offered another supply route by delivering engines to a base that could support the flying boat before its return flight.
Notable Point · 1:59:53-2:01:35
Preparing replacement aircraft at a movable forward base
Tender workshops could assemble aircraft delivered by merchant ships and prepare them for Unicorn, while Sunderlands carried engines to the same forward bases.