Atlantic convoys and amphibious reinforcement of Norway both needed air defence as well as anti-submarine protection. Those operational requirements survived the 1967 policy decision to remove conventional aircraft carriers. Because governments found it difficult to admit that the earlier decision had gone too far, the replacement emerged under the description of a through-deck cruiser. The Invincible-class ships show how enduring missions can preserve a capability even when political language and platform form change.
Notable Point · 41:27-42:07
Through-deck cruisers preserved carrier aviation
After the 1967 decision to abandon conventional carriers, continuing convoy and Norway missions drove Britain toward the Invincible-class through-deck cruisers.