Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:32:59-3:36:39

Converting new capital ships into carriers reshapes every fleet

A 1936 ton-for-ton conversion rule would replace British, French, Italian, American, and Japanese capital ships with carrier designs.

Aircraft CarriersKing George V Class Battleships (1939)Littorio Class BattleshipsNaval TreatiesYamato Class Battleships
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Question

What if treaty navies had to convert new capital-ship tonnage into keel-up carriers after 1936?

Short answer

Most major treaty fleets would enter the war with many more carriers, transforming Taranto, Pearl Harbor, Mediterranean operations, and Pacific planning without necessarily changing the European war's start date.

Notes

The King George V, Littorio, Dunkerque, and later treaty-era capital-ship programmes would emerge as carriers rather than gun ships, while Yamato and Musashi could become exceptionally large carriers. Pearl Harbor and Taranto would involve more aircraft and greater risk to carriers concentrated in port. The European war's land-driven start might remain similar, but the Mediterranean and Pacific would become carrier contests much earlier, with fuel still constraining Japanese timing.