Q&A · 1:54:12-1:55:24

What if the Royal Navy had built three Unicorns?

Three Unicorns entering service around 1943 could have eased the Royal Navy's carrier shortage by pairing forward aircraft support with each armored fleet carrier.

Question

What difference would three HMS Unicorn-class support ships have made in 1943?

Short answer

They could have eased the carrier shortage by assigning a dedicated aircraft-repair and replacement ship to each armored fleet carrier.

Notes

The Royal Navy originally sought three Unicorns before Treasury and legal arguments reduced the order to one. If all three had arrived around 1943, they could have sustained the limited number of armored carriers then available. Each fleet carrier might have operated with a dedicated forward aviation support ship able to repair aircraft and replenish its air group. The resulting formation would resemble a multi-carrier task group, with the additional decks devoted primarily to preserving the operational carrier's striking power.