Flight-deck oilers and convoy air cover

What would change if the U.S. Navy's fast oilers had been converted into small flight-deck ships?

They would strengthen defensive air cover and convoy security, allowing fleet carriers to be used more aggressively.

The converted ships would add defensive fighters and scouting aircraft at a time when the United States needed every available deck. Their modest air groups would not make the oilers first-line strike carriers. They would instead protect convoys and release fleet carriers for more aggressive operations. The counterfactual demonstrates how auxiliary aviation can improve operational freedom even when each individual conversion has limited combat power.