A fast Lexington-class carrier could operate with one of its battlecruiser sisters as the core of an early American task force. The battlecruiser's 16-inch guns remove much of the rationale for mounting 8-inch guns on the carrier itself. Yorktown-class development could then grow around this fast formation, while a slower battleship-hull carrier supports the battle line. Giving the converted ships names such as United States or Washington would also attach unusual national prestige to naval aviation and make them especially prominent targets in any Pacific war.
Chapter · 49:28-51:46
Lexington-carrier pairs could create early fast task forces
Pairing a Lexington battlecruiser with the surviving fast carrier could encourage a combined aviation-and-capital-ship doctrine before later Yorktown-class development.