I'm not winding anyone up
You'll find similar arguments to mine - the QE's will stress manning, the surface navy's main tasks over last 30 years have been anti-piracy etc we' need more Mistral type vessels - echoed by such diverse people as Steve Bush of "Warship World", Conrad Waters and his contributors in "World Naval Review", Janes, Nick Childs "Britains Future navy" etc etc
I really believe that a single carrier isn't going to add much and may well affect the number of more useful, smaller surface vessels we'll be able to buy and operate
I know a lot of people on here would love to go back to a multi-carrier fleet but it ain't going to happen - the main reason we lose capabilities is not due to inept leadership but to escallating costs and the refusal of the electorate to pay taxes and spend on defence at the rates we did from 1939- 1978
The front line in the Navy are like the other forces - trying to stretch what they have to do everything they used to do - and they do an amazing job - but eventaully the cracks start to show.
It isn't fair on them and we're conning ourselves if we continue to believe we can do everything at current rates of expenditure