Why aviation conversions recurred across three wars

The final historical comparison separates three causes that can lead to superficially similar conversions. In the First World War, seaplane carriers were genuinely new, so navies had not had time to develop and build enough purpose-designed ships before expansion became urgent. During the interwar years, treaty restrictions and competing construction priorities limited carrier numbers, prompting navies to accept smaller useful designs and plan merchant conversions. The Cold War sustained high overall defense spending, yet money did not necessarily reach the aviation and support capabilities needed for an unexpected campaign. Funding metrics and alliance assumptions changed what governments felt obliged to deliver even when the operational requirement remained. Rapid conversion can therefore signal technological innovation, but its recurrence after the need is understood more often reveals a failure of allocation and preparation.