ABSTRACT
One of the most enduring naval debates since the mid-1960s has been the question of "large" vs "small" carriers. The current debate derives from deployment of the vertical/short take-off and landing (V/STOL) airplanes in the 1970s. During this early V/STOL period, the United States Navy was still operating fifteen large-deck attack carriers as well as some smaller antisubmarine warfare carriers; there was no interest in V/STOL. While there are many different lessons with differing arguments for both the large and small carrier advocates, there is one general lesson that pertained to the Falklands conflict just as it pertained to any battle during Second World War: air superiority is an absolute necessity. On May 7th, when the British extended their sea and air blockade from 200 miles around the Falklands to within twelve miles of Argentina, the Argentine carrier was effectively bottled up in home waters.
