In the 1939 game-ship scenario, the Essex programme is considered too far advanced to abandon outright. Existing orders would continue until a workable Midway design became available, after which ships not yet laid down could be reordered to the later design. The Essex class still supplies numbers, while Midway represents the larger desired carrier. Britain is expected to accelerate the Implacables to obtain additional strike carriers. Air attacks would aim to slow the exceptional enemy battleships and help the British fleet control the pace of an engagement.
Notable Point · 4:57:35-4:58:45
Carrier construction as a response to stronger battleships
The counterfactual preserves Essex production for numbers and gives Britain a reason to rush Implacables for attacks that slow enemy battleships.