Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 42:23

A Lexington-Alaska fast task group

Surviving Lexington battlecruisers could be paired with Alaska-class cruisers and carriers as a powerful Pacific fast group.

Aircraft CarriersAlaska Class Large CruisersFleet TacticsLexington Class BattlecruisersYorktown Class Aircraft Carriers
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Question

Could the United States have both sixteen-inch Lexington battlecruisers and twelve-inch Alaska-class large cruisers?

Short answer

Yes; the Alaskas could reinforce surviving Lexingtons in fast carrier groups rather than duplicate them.

Notes

The proposed American force retains sixteen-inch Lexington battlecruisers while adding twelve-inch Alaska-class large cruisers. A modernised Lexington and an Alaska could support each other in a fast group. Pairing them with a Yorktown and Wasp, then adding destroyers, produces the suggested four-ship core. The expectation is that this force could defeat most opponents encountered in the Pacific and fight off others.