The United States would have Iowas and Montanas in service, then continue refining their successors as foreign construction becomes clearer. A delayed war raises the question of whether the large 1940-43 Essex orders still happen, or whether the Navy tests the early ships and matures a design closer to Midway before committing to quantity. Ships historically completed as the Independence class would instead remain light cruisers, another sign that wartime urgency shaped the actual fleet. Knowledge of Japanese 18- or 20-inch weapons could revive American interest in larger guns and ships. American yard capacity permits simultaneous construction of capital ships, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and new infrastructure rather than forcing each type to compete for the same few slips. A sufficiently large two-ocean fleet may reduce the political need to keep every major unit within Panama Canal limits, or prompt investment in widening the canal instead. Carrier air groups could also develop differently without the pressure to field an immediate wartime force.
Chapter · 57:20-1:05:46
United States: industrial scale changes the carrier race
With more peacetime development, the United States could test early Essex-class carriers and move toward a Midway-like design before committing to mass production.
18-inch GunsAircraft CarriersBattleshipsCarrier ProcurementCruisersEssex Class Aircraft CarriersIndependence Class Light Aircraft CarriersIowa Class BattleshipsMidway Class Aircraft CarriersMontana Class BattleshipsNaval AircraftNaval Industrial CapacityPanama CanalShipyard CapacityTwo-Ocean NavyUS Navy