A slightly later Washington Naval Treaty might have recognized light carriers as a separate category. Britain had HMS Hermes in mind, but her 11,020-ton standard displacement placed her just above the proposed 10,000-ton exclusion. Improvements in boilers and other systems might have brought a later design below that line. Hermes and Hosho also show how early purpose-built carriers changed category in practice as navies tested air groups and discovered missions beyond those originally intended.
Notable Point · 46:48-49:31
The treaty threshold that caught HMS Hermes
British and Japanese interest in a separate light-carrier category foundered on treaty timing and a 10,000-ton threshold that narrowly included HMS Hermes in carrier tonnage.