I agree, it would be a nightmare to man (though if just a simple LHD type, the crew may be relatively small), and provide airgroups for. It is more the idea of actually having a proper RN back, with a capability lost since the ’60s!

I was really envisaging something more along the lines of the Spanish Juan Carlos LHD, rather than the Italian Cavour. Think more in terms of a super-sized HMS Ocean! …

The problem here is that Juan Carlos, or any similar ship, isn’t a carrier. She’s primarily an amphibious ship, with a secondary, compromised, & part-time carrier capability – note that, it’s one or the other, not amphibious and carrier simultaneously, & she’s planned to spend most of her time as an amphib, for good reasons.

She’s fairly slow (normal amphib speed), & although I’m no expert, I suspect throwing more power at her wouldn’t change that because of the hull shape, & that can’t be changed without removing the dock. The hull shape is optimised for carrying capacity (& that dock) at the expense of other factors, which I suspect would probably mean she’s more limited in air ops in heavy seas than a dedicated carrier need be. Internal arrangements are optimised for amphibious operations, which makes them less efficient for air ops.

Changing the design to make her more carrier-like would turn her into a Cavour clone. They’re different ends of the amhib/carrier dual-purpose spectrum.

The compromises inherent in buying Juan Carlos makes sense for Spain, which is trying to get maximum value from a smaller budget than the RN. She’s a good back-up to a single dedicated small carrier. But I feel that the RN (or the French navy) is above the cut-off point where it’s worthwhile. We’re better off with a couple of real carriers, perhaps with a secondary amphibious capability, & dedicated amphibs.