2 x 151ft Hermes (1959) - Except Rain says they were 2 x 103ft with the port lengthened to 145ft in her 1964-66 refit
The standard BS5 catapult as used in the Clem, Foch, Ark and Eagle is 151', whereas the BS4A and the Vic ad Hermes was 145' but these numbers get shuffled around all the time and some include overall length and others just the shuttle run, so I'm not surprised Friedman says they're 151' when they're not. BTW I always quote shuttle run.
Some stockpiles of supplies may be stored but what happens when they are gone? Your enemy knows were these stockpiles are so they will be attacked. Each side makes a string of assumptions in planning. If anything, wartime planning has to include a healthy sprinkling of MURPHY'S LAW. So you have to plan around those supplies not being there. What do you do then, just give up?
Likewise NATO planning had better assume a large enough portion of enemy Subs and bombers are going to smash through any feeble NATO lines in the sand, or NATO defense is doomed.
There was a very long standing NATO requirement that all member states hold War Reserve Stocks of ammo and spares equal to 30 days combat. This caused a panic in 1973 when Israel's usage rates were much greater than expected, resulting in the Europeans increasing their stocks to 30 days at Yom Kippur War usage rates. The US was OK because of its experience of ejaculating ammo in Vietnam.
In 1968 the EEC issued a directive that all members must have 90 days fuel reserves; Germany created its strategic fuel reserve in 1970, the US created its strategic reserve of crude in 1975 after the YKW but Britain doesn't have a fuel reserve as such but under section 6 of the Energy Act 1976 it complied with the EEC directive. Contrary to popular belief Politicians, Military Officers and senior Public Servants aren't stupid, they are usually diligent, thoughtful people who work hard at their jobs to get as good an outcome as possible within their limits. If that wasn't the case things like 30 days war stocks and 90 days fuel reserves would exist as standards to be met, let alone maintained year after year through good times and bad.
The whole point of the offensive battle against Soviet bases and to close the GIUK Gap was so not enough Soviet subs/ships/aircraft would get through to cut off Europe from the world before a favourable decision was reached in battle. The preparations must have been enough, because although the west was tested in battle in many paces around the world during the Cold War, it was never tested in battle in the ETO.