What could USS Franklin and USS Bunker Hill have become if rebuilt in 1965?
Short answerMost likely helicopter carriers or amphibious ships, potentially with troop space, rather than modern strike carriers.
NotesFranklin and Bunker Hill had been repaired after severe wartime damage and then held in reserve, but that did not make a 1965 fast-jet reconstruction straightforward. The response treats accumulated hull stress and the age of the design as reasons not to pursue an ambitious strike-carrier role. A helicopter deck and hangar would demand less from the ships while still adding useful aviation capacity. Troop accommodation could turn them into LPH- or LHA-like amphibious platforms able to carry both Marines and their lift. The proposed conversion therefore matches the surviving hulls to a realistic contemporary mission instead of chasing nominal carrier status.