The Lexington route offers a long flight deck and very high speed, while a larger G3 or Amagi conversion might have allowed more growth margin for later modernization. The stage of construction shapes the comparison. The G3s were even less advanced than the Lexingtons, making them closer to purpose-built carriers laid out on a battlecruiser foundation. Their machinery and other long-lead components existed, but much of the hull arrangement could still be reconsidered around aviation requirements. That flexibility makes a G3 conversion more than a simple enlargement of an existing design.
Notable Point · 1:13:03-1:15:09
G3 conversions versus the Lexington hull
The comparative counterfactual asks whether longer Lexington hulls or less-complete G3s gave the better carrier-conversion opportunity.