when I see these big carriers, USA based or not, I can’t help but think of the Repulse and the Prince of Wales, which were the first capital ships sunk by air attack on open seas.
the British commander apparently did not believe that modern battleships could be sunk by air attack alone.
Do carriers have a similar vulnerability to some new weapon or tactic? They represent a huge investment in a single ship. The same money could pay for many small ships.
Is there any way to decentralize the aircraft carrier function to many small ships?
I’m not a military expert, just asking the question.
It’s my understanding that the ships themselves are quite sinkable and are one in a group of ships who protect it, along with aircraft and other assorted weaponry.
I don’t know how they protect against torpedoes.
Carriers are sitting ducks and rather expensive ducks at that
Fleet air defense is the #1 priority for the USN. That has been neglected somewhat since the retirement of the F-14A/D and the AIM-54 Phoenix Missile a few years before that. If a battle group could be build around a small flight deck (say LHA/LHD class vessel) you could conceivably use unmanned drones. But there would have to be artificial intelligence to handle the engagements. Things would happen too fast to be using a data-link.
Carriers do not travel on their own.