The absence of a carrier from Force Z did not reflect ignorance of air power. The Royal Navy had already seen aircraft prove their value at Bismarck, Cape Matapan, Taranto, and Mers-el-Kebir. It lacked enough carriers for every commitment after operational losses and construction delays reduced the available fleet. Force Z shows how an earlier procurement decision can remove otherwise sensible options from a later commander's plan.
Chapter · 18:25-20:22
Why Force Z had no carrier
The video rejects the idea that Britain ignored naval air power and instead points to a shortage of available carriers.