This counterfactual puts Alaska-class orders into 1936 and lays their keels in 1937 alongside the North Carolina and South Dakota programmes. To influence the early Pacific battles, the ships have to enter service before the historical design did. The treaty system therefore breaks in 1936, while Congress continues to fund the Navy cautiously. World War II still begins on roughly the historical timetable, and battles analogous to Coral Sea and Midway remain in the scenario. Their forces and outcomes can change as the earlier large cruisers become available.
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The counterfactual starts with an early Alaska order
Moving the Alaska class into the 1936 programme requires the treaty system to fail early, while the scenario keeps the path toward Coral Sea and Midway broadly intact.