Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:41:21-2:41:45

Replacing a catastrophic carrier loss after Coral Sea

If both available US carriers were lost but their air groups survived, the quickest response would be to accelerate light and escort carriers.

Aircraft CarriersAlternate HistoryCoral SeaEscort CarriersPacific War
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Question

How could the US Navy recover if it lost both carriers around Coral Sea?

Short answer

If the air groups survived, the United States could fast-track light and escort carriers to restore naval aviation more quickly.

Notes

The premise needs correction because the commander in the scenario has two carriers rather than three. Losing both would leave the United States needing a rapid replacement for fleet aviation in the theatre. If the air groups survived, light and escort carrier construction would probably accelerate so trained naval aviation could return to sea on replacement decks. The counterfactual separates the loss of hulls from the survival of the aviation force needed to use new ones.