Lexingtons as a US reconnaissance force

In this version of the treaty, five Lexingtons form a reconnaissance-oriented force at the broad end of the battlecruiser spectrum. Their size, sixteen-inch guns, and speed would give the US Navy a marked advantage over the four smaller, fourteen-inch-gunned Kongos in scouting and movement. Completing USS Washington would create four Colorados, while replacing Arkansas, Wyoming, Florida, and Utah could eventually add three modern battleships. Alternatively, Washington and the unfinished America could become carriers, changing both the battle line and the development of American naval aviation. Keeping some capital-ship work alive could also reduce reliance on the enormous four-stack destroyer programme. Treaty choices therefore interact with congressional funding, existing contracts, yard activity, and the possible emergence of battlecruiser-carrier scouting groups.