Lexington-class ships split across capital-ship roles

What might become of the Lexington class if the German High Seas Fleet survived and the United States continued the program?

The class would probably split into batches: some ships completed to the original design, some converted into carriers, and perhaps others redesigned toward the better-protected end of the battlecruiser spectrum.

The Royal Navy shared substantial battlecruiser design information with the United States and understood the American operational purpose, even though it was not enthusiastic about the Lexington class. A continued programme in the surviving High Seas Fleet scenario would probably split into batches. Some ships could be completed close to the original plan, others converted into aircraft carriers, and later hulls redesigned toward a more capable fighting battlecruiser. The distinction among two-word battle cruisers, one-word battlecruisers, fast battleships, and battleships is an interpretive scheme based on their intended roles. A worldwide cruiser with battleship guns sits at a different point from a ship expected to fight comparable capital ships. Machinery power density also changes the design choices available at different dates, as the comparison of Invincible and HMS Tiger illustrates.