When carrier 8-inch guns might have mattered

Would Saratoga have retained her 8-inch guns after a gunfight between carriers?

Possibly, because a night carrier action would provide a direct reason for carriers to carry guns against one another.

Heavy guns remained poorly suited to normal carrier operations, but a carrier-versus-carrier night action at gun range during the Indian Ocean raid offers a rare tactical exception. If such an encounter had occurred, Saratoga's 8-inch battery would suddenly have a direct purpose. That experience might have encouraged the United States Navy to retain the weapons longer. The exceptional case would not overturn the broader criticism of the armament.