It quickly became apparent that wartime demands on shipyard capacity made it impossible to complete the ships in 1946.

[2] Centaur was partially modernized with steam catapults[3][5] shortly after being commissioned[2] and limited to operating mainly de Havilland Sea Vixen fighters until retirement in 1965.

The design was ruthlessly simplified to reduce cost and construction times; the hull was unarmoured and built to merchant standards, armament was limited to light anti-aircraft guns, and it used existing cruiser machinery.

[8][9] From the initial 1943 sketches, the Centaur was designed for longer post-war careers[2] to a hybrid of merchant and warship standards.

[2] Centaur underwent a limited modernization refit[5] from September 1956 to September 1958 during which the hydraulic catapults were replaced by BS-4 steam catapults;[3] features required to operate modern strike aircraft, like a fully angled flight deck, were not fitted due to yard capacity issues.

[5] Afterwards, she was limited to mainly Sea Vixen fighters and Fairey Gannet anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft.

[2][5] Centaur operated as an aircraft carrier and a helicopter assault ship during the suppression of the Tanganyika Rifles in 1964.

Albion could carry 900 troops, a greater number than her sister's due to a more extensive conversion; Bulwark was later refitted to a similar standard.

[13] She was decommissioned for the last time on 2 March 1973,[2] to be replaced by HMS Hermes (R12) when the latter's conversion to a helicopter assault ship was completed in August 1973.

[2] The 1957 defence policy review led to Bulwark being converted into a helicopter assault ship rather than being modernized for fixed-wing aircraft.

[12] In June 1968,[2] she demonstrated - for the first time - the reinforcement of Norway by assault carriers[15] during NATO Exercise Polar Express.

[16][2] The ship suffered a boiler room fire in March 1980; the damage was not fully repaired and her maximum speed was decreased.

Another major fire, coupled with the ship's poor material state, led to her retirement six months earlier than planned; she decommissioned for the last time on 27 March 1981.

A proposal to convert the hull into an aircraft maintenance carrier for the Falklands War was rejected due to her poor condition and insufficient equipment.

The ship was launched in 1953 only to undergo full modernization that required partial disassembly and reconstruction; steam catapults, a full 8-degree angled flight deck, a side lift instead of a forward centerline lift, the Comprehensive Display System (CDS), and the Type 984 radar were installed.

[4] Hermes was converted into a helicopter assault ship at Portsmouth Dockyard from 1 March 1971 to 14 August 1973;[13] the steam catapults, arrestor gear, CDS, and the Type 984 were removed.

[13] From May 1980 to 9 May 1981[13] she was refitted at Portsmouth into a general-purpose carrier operating Sea Harriers, and ASW and air assault helicopters; a 12-degree ski-jump[4] and Ferranti 1600E computer were installed.

[4] Hermes paid off for the last time on 22 November 1983 and sold to India after the completion of HMS Ark Royal (R07).

[17] Arrogant was ordered from Swan Hunter on 12 July 1943, deferred in early 1944, and then cancelled on 15 October 1945.

The slipway would have required a slight extension to build the carrier; Fore Street was purchased to make room and walled off, and was only returned to Plymouth in 2005.