Q&A · 2:47:40-2:48:26

Unryu-class carriers as a bridge to postwar Japanese designs

A victorious-Japan scenario explains why a proven wartime carrier might remain in production while a more ambitious successor matures.

Question

Would a Japan that won the Second World War keep using Unryu-class carriers instead of moving quickly to G-15 designs for jets?

Short answer

Probably as an interim measure: Unryu was cheaper and adaptable, while G-15 remained the better long-term carrier once requirements were settled.

Notes

In the victorious-Japan scenario, the Unryu class has scope for improvement and could remain useful while carrier requirements develop. The cheaper design could do the immediate job while planners decide what they want from a successor. G-15 remains the preferred long-term option, with the pace of construction depending on the period and circumstances after victory. British plans to use light fleet carriers until larger fleet carriers were ready provide the comparison. The argument concerns an imagined postwar fleet, rather than a historical Japanese transition to operational jet carriers.