Sorry but it is a story because the Carrier Aviation fraternity will be on here and using this as further evidence.
I'll take the plunge.
The few RAF aircraft that took part in this operation only did so after the US provided the services of their F-18 Growler aircraft and
IF..
If we were provided with
a proper aircraft carrier then this ship would have been deployed just thirty miles or so off the coast, and with its limited air wing it would have had the Growler and multiple F-18's to carry out multiple, daily missions.
The RAF did the job they were asked but how many aircraft could they deploy to Italy, how many times did any of these aircraft have to divert to a neutral country because of technical issues? How much did it cost? How many private contractors were hired to regularly ferry all the requirements of this forward deployed unit?
I only want what is best for my country and do NOT give a flying fig the colour of any uniform worn by the pilots. Bottom line is the flying suit is the same shade of green. We cannot congratulate ourselves regarding that deployment when it simply highlighted our short comings when asked to act without US support.
To those that say the carrier might not be in the right place at the right time, I simply say the carrier is quicker than your Eddie Stobart options .
plus of course there is usually a build up to a state of conflict which will be when the carrier will get the orders to deploy.
To me this thread highlights why we should have aircraft carriers, I cannot feel sorry for our brylcreem boys wanting undisturbed beauty sleep, as in any conflict, sleep is an optional extra which may or may not be high on any list of human needs and if those naughty aeroplanes make too much noise when we try to sleep then buy
these 
