Jeune Ecole U.S. Navy recovery problem

What would the U.S. Navy look like if Congress stayed obsessed with Jeune Ecole ideas from the 1890s to 1920, and could it recover in time for the Second World War?

Recovery would be theoretically possible, but very difficult. Rebuilding industrial capacity would leave the United States needing experienced heavy-warship engineers, while decades without a battle fleet could also change its overseas position.

A U.S. Navy committed to Jeune Ecole ideas would concentrate on cruisers, torpedo boats, and submarines, losing experience in capital-ship construction. One response doubts that recovery is possible; another points to the industrial expansion of the late 1930s and early 1940s as evidence that it is theoretically achievable. Rebuilding yards would still leave a shortage of experienced heavy-warship engineers, some of whom would have to be recruited abroad. If construction also remained dormant through the 1920s, the gap could approach 47 years by 1936 or 1937. The consequences extend to the Spanish-American War, the American position in the Pacific, and naval-treaty negotiations with Japan and Britain. A large First World War escort fleet or an Invincible-style battlecruiser program are alternative paths considered in the discussion.