My advice:
Just expect someone to change sides to find a hidden Carrier. Keep in mind that whoever sets off to kill it is going to have a long flight and may not be able to sink it.
Also if you have a carrier mission posted, expect some lone wolf one man Carrier attack force to launch 5 minutes before your mission.
Carrier issues used to drive me nearly off the edge but I've learned to accept that it's just a game and the other players all want to win too.
