John Frazer
Sep 8, 2018 · 1 min read

So basically, the concept failed because they didn‘t make them big enough to support larger helicopters like transports instead of just Sea-King and smaller, or much bigger to support jump-jets.

Other than that, the concept is sailing on successfully, bigger than before. helped along by cheaters like the US Navy with the “America” with F-35s; an actual light carrier instead of a CVH or amphibious support ship, and all the others like the new Japanese ship, which keeps trying to become the same thing.

Sea-control large cruisers with lots of helicopter capabilities like the Jeanne-d-arc or Vinetto have always had a role and mission, but the big-carrier constituency always has more clout.
Today, a trend is towards assault ships that serve as oilers and light carriers. So the half-carrier-slash-amphib/command support ships are still important and has its popularity even among high-level first-world Navy planners. They’re just becoming what most specialist navy people hate, the multi-role asset that nobody can button-hole into just one role, just one office, just one constituency.

Now that even LHAs are becoming more CV, we’ll see more multi-role small carriers. The escort carrier or light-carrier has always also had a valuable role, stifled by the big flat-top constituency aided by fandoms, like writers.