How battleship roles changed after carrier ascendancy

As carrier aircraft gained range, payload, and airborne search capability, battleships became less likely to reach a carrier with gunfire. Before that transition was complete, a carrier caught within battleship range was extremely vulnerable, a fact obscured when historical memory emphasizes battleships sunk by aircraft but forgets carriers sunk by gunfire. Battleship value then shifted toward command, carrier escort, and shore bombardment for amphibious operations rather than disappearing at once. Continued service after the Second World War shows how secondary roles could keep these ships useful long after their primary fleet role changed. Building both battleships and carriers during the transition protected current combat power while preparing for the future.