Four Lexington conversions create demand for escorts

The doubled carrier allowance creates room for four 33,000-ton American conversions rather than the historical pair. Lexington and Saratoga remain politically difficult to cancel, while Constellation and Ranger preserve Virginia work important to Tillman's ally Claude Swanson. Restricting every conversion to six-inch guns prevents the carriers from being portrayed as substitutes for their own cruiser screen. The rule could also redirect Omaha-class turret and gun contracts toward the carriers, giving Charleston another industrial interest in the settlement.