Originally Posted by
Less Hair
Wouldn't a catamaran layout be the optimum concept for some aircraft carrier? However they might be too wide for existing docks and shipyard infrastructure.
Several catamaran designs have been explored for aircraft carriers, and they do look very glorious on paper and renderings, with acres of parking space, multiple layout possibilities, including totally separate landing and take off areas, or even multiple "runways" but the building and maintenance docks, and as others point out the stresses and other factors quickly make them problematic. The size requirement for a graving dock or floating dry dock would be massive, and if that dock is full (or sinks/gets damaged as the Russians found out) you are out of luck.