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Some ideas for alternate pre-WWII aircraft carriers.
So, pictured below are a pair of carrier drawings. The first {top} picture is of OTL Yorktown class USN carriers, while the second {Bottom} picture is a badly done concept of what I want to have a discussion about.















The second image is for a much improved Yorktown class, with either 5 larger that OTL aircraft elevators pictured, or 8 OTL sized elevators and one larger one at the stern. The concept is another one of my half-baked ideas, namely that the USA decides to experiment with underway {full speed} recovery of seaplanes by tenders equipped with a sea-level stern mounted aircraft elevator. These experiments would probably start with the modification of a Langley type carrier, but if successful, then get included on fleet carriers. This in turn then leading to the adaptation of edge of flight deck aircraft elevators instead on ones like OTL.

The hoped for result is that the carriers air wing now can be shuttled back and forth between the flight and hanger decks three or so times faster than OTL, and that the USN can operate limited numbers of very long range {compared to OTL carrier borne aircraft} scout wings, and that this in turn leads to the development of some interesting experiments to make a submersible seaplane tender to offer forward deployable refueling capabilities for the PBY-type carrier borne seaplanes.

I tentatively have in mind the USN building the first two Yorktown class as OTL, but then, in 1936 ordering a second pair {as opposed to just the USS Hornet in 1939}, in response to the Japanese repudiation of the London Naval treaty in 1935. This second pair would be the version I envisioned above. Unless of course, someone else can give a better/more realistic and entertaining ATL carrier.
What does this do for the future of carrier design up to and throughout the war? How about post war?
Any interest in this set of ideas?

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