How twin-engine aircraft could reshape British carriers

Would aircraft such as the Westland Whirlwind or a navalized Mosquito have become standard British carrier aircraft if France had developed twin-engine naval aviation earlier?

Possibly, but Beaufighter- or Blenheim-derived aircraft are the likelier early route. Successful Ark Royal trials could then have driven taller hangars, wider or deck-edge lifts, and a different Illustrious-class layout.

The counterfactual follows Beaufighter- or Blenheim-like naval aircraft before the later Mosquito. Successful twin-engine trials on Ark Royal could have changed the requirements behind the Illustrious class and its successors. Larger aircraft would favor taller hangars and wider lifts, with deck-edge lifts providing a large platform without the weight of a much larger opening through the flight deck. Moving the lifts toward the island side would affect anti-aircraft positions and create maintenance spaces at the ends of the hangar. Aircraft dimensions would therefore shape carrier architecture, internal workflow, and survivability compromises together.