@ORAC:
...A carrier is not a complicated ship, it is basically a big box...
Yep, but only when trying to convince members of the influential Defence Committee in 2000 that the two QE Class carriers were simply floating boxes made with steel plate bought from Corus at £65 million plus a few extra quid (
ultimately £6 billion) for some metal origami. It was also necessary to correct any mistaken belief that a linear correlation existed between their necessarily large size and any significant extra cost.
P.S. Did you know the three CVS were simply through-deck cruisers carrying some ASW helos?