Five Operation Crossroads ships worth preserving

Which five Operation Crossroads target ships should have become museum ships?

Saratoga and Independence are essential, with Nagato and an LST favored to preserve historically important types that otherwise lack survivors.

The answer initially considers Arkansas and Pensacola, then revises the choice after confronting the wider Able and Baker target lists. Saratoga and Independence would preserve important but very different carrier-development paths, while Nagato would retain a major Japanese capital ship. LST-52 represents a workhorse amphibious type for which physical heritage is especially scarce. The difficult final choices show that preservation value depends on filling gaps in the surviving fleet, not simply saving the most famous battleships.