Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:42:28-2:45:20

Midway-class carriers instead of Essexes

More survivable armored carriers would cost the U.S. Navy the production tempo that made the Essex swarm possible.

Carrier ProductionEssex Class Aircraft CarriersMidway Class Aircraft CarriersNaval ProcurementUS Navy
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Question

How would the Pacific war change if the United States built Midway-class carriers instead of Essexes?

Short answer

Individual ships may survive better, but slower construction weakens the operational mass that the U.S. Navy relied on.

Notes

A Midway offers greater individual survivability and a larger armoured carrier, but it takes much longer to build than an Essex. The comparison uses roughly fourteen months for an Essex and about twenty-three months for Midway. Replacing the programme ship for ship therefore delays the mass of flight decks that supported the island campaign. Slower advances give Japan more time to fortify objectives and postpone the bases from which strategic bombers can reach the home islands. The better individual carrier may consequently lengthen the war by six to eight months because operational quantity matters more than isolated quality.