Tarawa is a different case, one of the first ever build escort carriers.
Escort Carriers like Tarawa are built to be expendable: Confed needed to buy time until its next generation of heavy carriers came online. The escort carrier plan was thought up by Geoffrey Tolwyn. A dozen could be built for the cost of a standard fleet carrier.
Escort carriers carry a crew of just under 500 and carries three squadrons. Its forward armament includes a quad-barreled neutron gun, with mass drivers and anti-torpedo batteries on its flanks. There is no reserve bridge like on other combat ships.
All armament is stored in blast-proof lockers beneath the flight deck. They are hoisted on just before launch so they can be loaded onto the craft.
The flight deck control room is on an elevated platform, facing the airlock door.
There is a catapult for launching fighters and there is a safety net on the flight deck, used for landings.
Craft can be towed off the launch line when they can't launch. There is a small tow tractor for pulling craft up to the launch ramp.
@Sphynx: correct! Tarawa is designated CVE (escort carrier), Jutland CVA (attack carrier)
