How a treaty-free carrier fleet might have divided into heavy and light types

How might fleet and light carriers have developed without naval-treaty limits?

Navies likely would have built large protected fleet carriers and smaller fast scouting carriers, with British designs retaining armor because distant theaters lacked major repair facilities.

Separate heavy and light carrier lines are the likely outcome rather than one uniform type. Large carriers of roughly 30,000 to 40,000 tons could combine substantial air groups with armor, while fast light carriers might operate with cruiser scouting forces. British armored flight decks answered the need to survive damage far from the home industrial base, especially in a war against Japan. Treaty tonnage, repair geography, speed, protection, and fleet role all shaped carrier design.