Akagi entered service in 1927 at about 26,900 tons, with a top speed of 28.5 knots, ten 8-inch guns, twelve 4.7-inch guns, and 50 aircraft. The American conversions arrived with greater speed, beam, length, and aviation capacity. Lexington and Saratoga turned battlecruiser hulls intended to catch enemy ships into platforms whose aircraft could reach farther and faster. Their 180,000 shaft horsepower produced about 34 knots, and each ship carried roughly 80 aircraft. Those dimensions and air groups made them the decade's largest and most prestigious carrier units.
Chapter · 20:42-23:17
Lexington and Saratoga overtake Akagi in 1927
Akagi was formidable, but Lexington and Saratoga used battlecruiser hulls to deliver greater speed, size, and 80-aircraft groups at the end of the decade.