Dark Earth: The History of the Aircraft Carrier

It is simply the different traditional nomenclature of the French Navy. They are not a facsimile of the British just as they are a monarchy.

Yes, as happened in 1850. The naming of the 1940s battleship symbolises the reintegration of the Bonapartists.

The Japanese and the United States i guess will be among them.

Another one of these short snippets. I will put up the whole version in due course (currently doing Cape Spartivento and Cape Matapan), but this serves as both a little teaser and also to see whether the overall concept works. Comments on this or the previous one are welcome.


At the beginning of 1941, the general situation faced by Britain and her allies remained parlous. The Battle of the Atlantic, although beginning to shift in Allied favour, was still a vast and complex one fraught with existential danger and German U-Boat production was increasing by the week. In Norway, the grinding fighting in the centre of the country had slowed over winter and German control over the most populous and productive parts of the country seemed increasingly secure. Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill had declared that the main focus of the British Empire's war effort for the year must lie in the Mediterranean, the 'crucible of victory', which was now looking further away than ever. The presence of Austro-Hungarian and German forces in North Africa had shifted the nature of the conflict there, even as British and Commonwealth forces were now committed to Greece. The initial Turkish offensive in the Middle East had been blunted by Imperial forces, which even now gathered in Israel and Iraq for an audacious counterattack, whilst the British and French expeditionary forces in Portugal did not seem capable of decisive offensive action against the Spanish and Italian foe. This necessary division of force to aid beleagured democratic allied states and protect the vitally important positions in Egypt and the Suez Canal was mirrored by affairs at sea, which saw the strength of the Royal Navy spread over multiple theatres, denying it the ability to concentrate and deliver decisive blows in the manner of October 1940. The Admiralty ever looked to the situation in the Far East and knew that time was running short to begin the dispatch of a sufficient battle fleet to deter the increasingly expansive ambitions of Japanese expansionism. Increased deployments of warships and auxiliaries east of Suez in the final months of 1940 had been however, it was but the beginning of what was required; Admiralty plans called for 6 months notice to gather, provision and send the fleet and Royal Marines.

Whilst the demands upon the Royal Navy had taxed it to the limit in the first full year of war, now the process of prewar rearmament and emergency naval construction would begin to bear valuable fruit. Three fleet and five light aircraft carriers, six battleships, four battlecruisers, a dozen cruisers, forty invaluable destroyers and over a hundred escorts were scheduled to enter service over the course of the year, aircraft production was increasing and the 11 auxiliary aircraft carriers converted in the early part of the war were now becoming operational. They would now be joined by the first of a new type of smaller, versatile carrier, as three merchant vessels, including the captured German SS Hannover, began conversion into small 'merchant auxiliary aircraft carriers', later better known as escort aircraft carriers. It was estimated that at least 75 such ships would be required to provide full coverage to every convoy operating in the North Atlantic, a daunting prospect for British shipbuilding capacity, even when augmented by the burgeoning military industrial power of the Dominion of Canada across the ocean, which was mustering its might for the challenge with a fierce pride and determination. Already in January, very quiet discussions were occurring regarding the ordering of new auxiliary ships from the United States of America, which was being bought ever closer to full involvement in the world war.

The 1941 War Emergency Naval Construction Programme reflected the priorities of the British Empire in this dark hour, mostly consisting of anti-submarine escorts for service on the vital convoy routes and light surface combatants to harrass and raid the imprisoned continent of Europe as it sweltered under the tyrannous Nazi yoke. The voracious demands of tank manufacturing for the active fronts in Norway and North Africa drew much of British armour production and the first priority for light and medium anti-aircraft guns went to Anti-Aircraft Command and the Royal Air Force. Tentative plans for the construction of a new class of fully armoured super battlecruisers were set aside in light of these necessities and it took exceptional efforts on the part of First Sea Lord Sir Dudley Pound to save the Tiger class cruisers projected to be laid down that year. A final group of four light aircraft carriers were approved, rather than the eight that the Admiralty had asked for, with the demands of merchant ship repair and maintenance of the Grand Fleet after punishing long term operations in the North Sea and off Scandinavaia putting paid to them. The finally agreed programme consisted of 4 light aircraft carriers, 8 cruisers, 32 destroyers, 32 destroyer escorts, 48 frigates, 20 sloops, 39 submarines, 56 corvettes, 62 minesweepers, 80 naval trawlers and 268 torpedo boats, with one important addition - the Malta class large aircraft carriers. The design of these successors to the Illustrious class fleet carriers had been underway since 1936 and had undergone many alterations along the way, the latest of which incorporated some of the improved features of the cancelled 1940 Aircraft Carriers, but, through a supreme effort of will, argument and bitter compromise, four ships were authorised for 1941. They represented a clear leap in size and capability over the Ark Royal and Illustrious class ships, coming in at over 1000ft in length, displacing upwards of 56,000t and protected by a stronger armoured deck and belt than their predecessors, all at an increased speed. The Maltas were designed to operate 120 aircraft and carried the formidable anti-aircraft gun defences yet put to sea on a British carrier, consisting of 24 5.25", 72 40mm Bofors and over 100 25mm Maxim guns. These were ships designed for global operations, with a particular view towards the threat posed by Imperial Japan in the Far East, yet even as dark war clouds began to gather over the Orient, it seemed that it may be too late.

So the US can focus on the Japanese while the RN and Free French can focus on the Germans and Italians, what is left on them.

A thanks for the clarification simon.