Madden's older distinction between fleet carriers and smaller reconnaissance or presence carriers remained visible beneath later designs. In an unconstrained ship, British planners would have preferred both Ark Royal's large air group and Illustrious-level protection. Treaty tonnage and the need for many hulls made that combination unavailable. The resulting scheme distinguished large strike carriers, protected fleet carriers, and smaller ships for presence and cruiser support. The smaller ships were intended to support cruiser operations around the world, extending aviation beyond the main battle fleets. Illustrious displaced more than Ark Royal while carrying a smaller air group, gaining greater survivability.
Notable Point · 2:23:21-2:26:12
Treaty pressure turns one ideal into carrier tiers
The Navy cannot combine Ark Royal's air group, Illustrious's protection, and a worldwide presence fleet within treaty tonnage, so it distributes those requirements among specialized carrier types.