I think the best carrier building program post-war is to go entirely clean sheet. There is no need to rush hulls into service anymore and time should have been taken to devise a new design to take into account the experainces of the war, and the greatly increasing size of newer aircraft.
The Centaur, Audacious and Malta class hulls under construction should all be scrapped. The most beaten up of the Illustrious and Implacables can be paid off whilst the rest kept on with minimal updates to keep them useable in the short term. The Majestic and Colossus class ships can be disposed of as OTL, though perhaps a few are kept in RN service longer to cover any gaps resulting from not building the Audacious pair. Probably Leviathan and Hercules are completed and accepted into RN service in the late 40s.
Then something like the 1952 Fleet carrier is built in the late 1950s, as a four ship class. As the newest capital ships consmtructed during the reign of a new monarch, the are almost certainly named the Queen Elizabeth class, with the others getting traditional capital ship names. Duke of Edinburgh being likely for the second, three probably gets named Ark Royal, and maybe Warspite for four. All the remaining war vintage carriers are then retired along with remaining Colossus class ships, perhaps the two aforementioned Majestic class ships are retained as commando carriers. They are probably eventually retired and repalced by dedicated helicopter carriers in the mid-70s, which also dual role as ASW group command ships. The four fleet carriers probably get attrited down two or even three by a combination of budgetary pressure and accumulated wear. Its probable either Duke of Edinburgh or Queen Elizabeth gets sold to India in the early 80s, the other is probably retained in reserve as a parts source for the other two.
Ark Royal and Warspite soldier on till the 90s, by that time likely operating Hornets or equivalents, when they are replaced by a two ship class of 60-70 kton conventional carriers.
The Centaur, Audacious and Malta class hulls under construction should all be scrapped. The most beaten up of the Illustrious and Implacables can be paid off whilst the rest kept on with minimal updates to keep them useable in the short term. The Majestic and Colossus class ships can be disposed of as OTL, though perhaps a few are kept in RN service longer to cover any gaps resulting from not building the Audacious pair. Probably Leviathan and Hercules are completed and accepted into RN service in the late 40s.
Then something like the 1952 Fleet carrier is built in the late 1950s, as a four ship class. As the newest capital ships consmtructed during the reign of a new monarch, the are almost certainly named the Queen Elizabeth class, with the others getting traditional capital ship names. Duke of Edinburgh being likely for the second, three probably gets named Ark Royal, and maybe Warspite for four. All the remaining war vintage carriers are then retired along with remaining Colossus class ships, perhaps the two aforementioned Majestic class ships are retained as commando carriers. They are probably eventually retired and repalced by dedicated helicopter carriers in the mid-70s, which also dual role as ASW group command ships. The four fleet carriers probably get attrited down two or even three by a combination of budgetary pressure and accumulated wear. Its probable either Duke of Edinburgh or Queen Elizabeth gets sold to India in the early 80s, the other is probably retained in reserve as a parts source for the other two.
Ark Royal and Warspite soldier on till the 90s, by that time likely operating Hornets or equivalents, when they are replaced by a two ship class of 60-70 kton conventional carriers.
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