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New priorities
November 1938

With the Illustrious class Carriers building and the new Goshawk fighter finally starting to be built in numbers, The third sea lord Admiral Henderson starts design work on a larger design of the Illustrious class Carriers with a 16 foot high double hanger capable of carrying 80 aircraft internally.

The first design for a 23 000 tonne aircraft carrier is regarded as too small for the amount of aircraft to be carried. The replacement for the Swordfish the Barricuda would not be able to be carried in sufficient numbers for the required for a torpedo strike.

The next design is for a 27 000 tonne aircraft carrier with a single 16 foot high hanger. While larger than the Illustrious class it is still not large enough for the required number of aircraft.

The third and final design is for a 35 000 tonne aircraft carrier capable of 32 knots and a range of 11 000 miles at 16 knots. This is the design that is chosen.

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