Reduced facilities still kept Seafires flying at Salerno

Unicorn's construction was paused and then accelerated by omitting some of the workshops required for her complete forward-support role. She therefore entered service closer to a light fleet carrier configuration than Henderson's full design. During Operation Avalanche, the Salerno landings, she served as Philip Vian's flagship for Force V and supported several operational tasks. Even in this reduced state, her maintenance capacity exceeded anything else available to the force. That capacity kept Seafires operating at Salerno longer than would otherwise have been possible.