The raison d'être of an aircraft carrier is to carry aircraft. The raison d'être of carrier aircraft is to operate from a carrier. Deleting one to save the other makes little sense.
Understood completely but what was the 1st Sea Lord prepared to sacrifice to save the Harriers?
I thought that over the same period the RN haemorrhaged DD/FF numbers to keep the carriers alive. So the 'RN cared more for ships' argument is at best simplistic.
As is putting all the blame for the loss of the Harriers into the great RAF conspiracy bucket. Capability was being shed at a hideous rate by all the Services to meet budget constraints.