Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:23:35-2:24:52

Lexingtons were the best conversions, but arrived slowly

American Lexington conversions produced the strongest ships, Japan received an uneven pair, and Britain gained smaller experimental decks suited to its doctrine.

Carrier ConversionsCourageous Class Warship LineageIJN AkagiInterwar Naval AviationKagaLexington Class Battlecruisers
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Question

Which navy got the best deal from 1920s aircraft-carrier conversions?

Short answer

The US Navy probably received the best ships, though Britain gained useful experimental carriers and Japan an uneven pair.

Notes

The comparison separates raw ship quality from what each navy learned through conversion. Courageous, Glorious, and Furious used less treaty tonnage and gave Britain several experimental decks suited to developing its own operating methods. Japan received an uneven pair because Akagi began as a battlecruiser while Kaga came from a battleship hull. Lexington and Saratoga were the strongest individual conversions, but the American program also took the longest to deliver its finished carriers.