I can understand some cause for bitterness. Given that the RAF assumed the mantle of air defence of the Fleet following the decommissioning of HMS Ark Royal in 1979 and the cancellation of her replacement, CVA-01, something seems to have gone wrong during the Falklands conflict. That’s how many baffled South Atlantic Medal holders see it, anyway. Unlike Dunkirk, RAF fighter cover wasn’t merely operating out of sight of the dark blue jobs and PBI either.
The Harrier carriers were designed as platforms for ASW helicopters and one can only surmise how much worse things would have been without their lash-up conversion, albeit without AEW.