Which carrier would win a night surface engagement between Implacable and Akagi?
Short answerProbably Implacable, because sensors, protection, usable weapons, and Royal Navy night-fighting experience outweigh Akagi's larger guns.
NotesAkagi carries the larger guns, but Implacable has the advantage in the systems needed to use her weapons effectively at night. Her sensors and armor matter, as does the Royal Navy carrier force's actual habit of engaging surface targets after dark. The comparison turns on detection, survivability, and practiced doctrine rather than nominal battery size. A weapon matters only when the ship can bring it onto the target.