Carrier aircraft were improving rapidly during the interwar years, but their future performance was uncertain. In 1930, torpedo, dive-bombing, night, and all-weather capabilities had not matured into a proven replacement for the battle line. Continued battleship construction in Britain and the United States is explained as a way to preserve established capability while testing aviation. The decision depended on when carriers could reliably perform the required tasks, rather than on their eventual wartime achievements.
Notable Point · 3:50:03-3:53:10
Why navies hedged between battleships and carriers
In the 1930s navies still needed proven battleships while testing whether rapidly changing carrier aviation could provide reliable day, night, and all-weather combat power.