Separate treaty allowances could have changed carrier fleets

How might separate treaty tonnage for large fleet carriers have changed naval force structure?

Navies would likely seek both heavily protected fleet carriers and numerous smaller carriers for sea control and cruiser-support work.

A separate allowance for large carriers could bring Midway- or Malta-like designs forward in this counterfactual. The example gives fleet carriers 175,000 tons and other carriers another 135,000 tons. A 35,000-ton carrier is imagined with substantial protection and a full strike flight deck. Britain might instead divide the larger allowance among six carriers of about 29,000 tons standard displacement, while using the other allowance for nine carriers of about 15,000 tons. The larger ships would provide the size and capability needed for fleet operations. The smaller ships would supply numbers for sea control and cruiser-support missions. These are hypothetical responses to altered treaty categories.