Scout carriers for reconnaissance and raider hunting

The torpedo is one weapon among several, while spotting and reconnaissance are the aircraft's defining naval jobs. A Hermes-sized scout carrier with about twenty-four torpedo-spotter-reconnaissance aircraft could support capital-ship gunfire and extend cruiser searches far beyond the horizon. With carriers routinely based in the Far East, Indian Ocean, South Atlantic, Mediterranean, and home waters, the Royal Navy would also build permanent aviation support at distant stations. That distributed network matters as much as individual aircraft performance when war begins and surface raiders must be found quickly.