Why endurance may have favored Hornet for the B-25 mission

Would Lexington have been a better B-25 carrier than Hornet?

Lexington's extra length was attractive, but Yorktown-class cruising range and speed offer a possible explanation for preferring Hornet.

Lexington was about 18.5 metres longer overall than Hornet, making the extra length an attractive feature for launching B-25s. Hornet and her escort Enterprise shared the Yorktown class's cruising range and speed. A proposed explanation for that pairing is that their ability to sustain the long approach mattered more than Lexington's additional length. The reasons for the actual choice are not established here.