Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 49:50-50:03

Would Japan build more or smaller carriers?

If Japanese planners fully appreciated carrier value, they would press for more flight decks instead of shifting to smaller ships.

Aircraft CarriersImperial Japanese NavyNaval AviationShipbuilding
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Question

If Japan fully understood the value of aircraft carriers, would it build more carriers or smaller ones?

Short answer

More carriers; Japanese planners were already trying to expand the force.

Notes

The question separates fleet size from ship size. Japan would seek more carriers if planners believed the programme could be sustained, and they were already trying to expand carrier numbers. The answer favors more hulls rather than smaller ships. The resulting designs and industrial limits remain unexplored.