Yorktown and Enterprise were excellent fighting ships, yet treaty economy left their flight decks outside the main strength structure. Building the flight deck as a strength deck would have produced a more robust hull and better supported wartime growth. Retaining Langley as a carrier instead of spending her treaty tonnage on Wasp could have added about 900 tons to each of two Yorktowns. That margin might have bought better subdivision, more stores, and deck-edge lifts, while a fitted-for-not-with approach could have prepared foundations and ammunition paths for later dual-purpose guns. The point is not that 900 tons guarantees survival, but that planned growth would have made already capable ships more adaptable under combat conditions.
Chapter · 2:22:28-2:32:14
Yorktown and Enterprise saved weight in the wrong structure
The Yorktown class achieved an excellent war record despite a light flight-deck structure and treaty-driven weight savings that restricted protection and wartime growth.