Lexington and G3 answered different fleet problems

G3 was conceived for long deployments as the core of a British Eastern Fleet, with missions including destroying surface raiders, commerce protection, and imperial presence. Its design also reflected the distant bases and infrastructure expected to sustain it. Lexington shared reconnaissance and commerce-war tasks but could be optimized for hunting cruisers because the American battle fleet was expected to remain close enough to handle enemy capital ships. The comparison shows why judging the ships side by side without their oceans, bases, and supporting fleets produces misleading conclusions.