Carrier aviation complicated the battleship's future before missiles made the case against the type much stronger. Battleships and carriers had formed a workable partnership in which the capital ship could act as a heavily armed escort and visible herald of the carrier group. Had aircraft remained the only new threat, a small number of battleships might have survived in that role. Missiles and the absence of rival battle fleets changed the calculation more decisively.
Notable Point · 4:57-5:44
Why carriers alone did not necessarily end the battleship
The aircraft carrier and battleship had developed complementary roles before missiles and postwar fleet asymmetry removed the need for that partnership.