The ship carried accommodation for an admiral and staff, two catapults, and four aircraft. Soon after commissioning she got underway within 36 minutes to respond to the crash of USS Akron and became the first Navy vessel at the scene. Among the 73 dead was Rear Admiral William Moffett, chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics and a forceful advocate for naval aviation. He had prevailed in the institutional contest with Billy Mitchell and maintained strong political connections. His survival raises a counterfactual in which he might have remained in senior service, perhaps eventually becoming Chief of Naval Operations and influencing the US Navy's development.
Chapter · 16:32-19:18
Portland’s flagship fittings and Akron response
Portland’s command spaces and four-aircraft facilities reflected her scouting role, while her rapid response to the Akron disaster opened a naval-aviation counterfactual.