HMS Unicorn was built as a forward aviation support ship, and the discussion connects the later Colossus class to her design lineage. An established interwar light-carrier programme could reverse that relationship. Unicorn's design could develop from the smaller carriers already in production. Their limited size and dispersed deployments would also give the Royal Navy a reason to seek a dedicated logistical partner for them. The programme could therefore influence support-ship procurement as well as combat-carrier construction.
Notable Point · 1:07:50-1:08:38
A small-carrier production line could change HMS Unicorn's ancestry
An existing family of small carriers could supply the design basis for Unicorn and create demand for her aviation-support role.