Launching Amagi before the earthquake could save the carrier conversion

Could Amagi have survived the Great Kanto earthquake if she had already been launched?

Possibly; a hull afloat in the bay might have been damaged without having its back broken on the stocks, leaving it repairable for carrier conversion.

A ship supported by water responds differently to an earthquake from an incomplete hull fixed on a building slip. If Amagi had already been launched, the shock might have damaged the ship without breaking its back. The extensive work planned for conversion into an aircraft carrier also gave the yard scope to repair machinery spaces and structure. The decisive condition would be whether the basic hull girder remained sound enough to justify that work.