Additional Yorktown-class carriers and Pacific operational flexibility

Could the United States have ordered three more Yorktown-class carriers with Hornet, and how would they have affected World War II?

Probably yes in theory if yards could absorb the work; they would offer more operational flexibility and raiding capacity, especially after the early-war crisis.

The relevant treaty environment could permit additional Yorktown-class carriers, leaving yard scheduling as the practical constraint. Ordering two or three with Hornet would give the U.S. Navy more fleet decks during its early carrier shortage. That could remove the need for the temporary USS Robin arrangement and permit more independent raids or operations as the Pacific campaign developed in 1943. The extra ships would widen operational choice rather than instantly change every early-war battle, because construction and air-group readiness still set the date when they could fight.