Reconnaissance supplies the reason for naval aviation's survival in this version of events. The altered treaty creates a separate category around 12,000 tons while raising the ceiling for fleet carriers to 30,000 tons. Hermes-sized ships offer a plausible model: numerous enough for global employment, yet useful because their aircraft can scout, spot, and strike without forcing a larger fleet carrier into every mission. The same category gives Japan room for six scout carriers and France and Italy five each, while the United States gains its own options for a smaller carrier force. This mechanism turns an operational lesson from Jutland into a durable interwar force structure instead of a temporary wartime enthusiasm.
Chapter · 1:21:00-1:33:58
A Washington treaty category for scout carriers
The scenario turns the treaty's carrier limits toward a distinct 12,000-ton scout-carrier category, giving reconnaissance and spotting a durable place in force structure.