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Ok, so while reading up on the WNT and the two follow up LNT, I ran accross a brief mention of an alternative Yorktown Class aircraft carrier, that would have displaced 27,000 tons (as opposed to the reported 19,800 ton displacement for the historical ships), and I learned that the restriction imposed by the LNT capped carriers at 23,000 tons, down 4,000 tons from the WNT limit.

Given that the USS Wasp was 14,700 tons reported displacement, and the 2 19,800 ton Yorktown class carriers had used up all the tonnage the USA was allowed (135,000 total carrier tonnage), I wanted to fact check some things.

39,600 + 14,700 + 14,810 + 66,000 = 135,110 tons total for (Lexington + Saratoga), Ranger, (Yorktown + Enterprise), Wasp. So there is the US carrier fleet right up until WWII started in Sep, 1939.

What would have been the design, had the 23,000 ton limit never gone into effect, and the USS Yorktown and USS Enterprise were built to the 27,000 ton limit? The US Navy would be down a flight deck (No USS Wasp), but given that, would the US have sat still and waited to order USS Hornet until 25 September, 1939 (Three weeks after the shooting started in Europe), or would they have ordered sooner? Like right after the 2nd LNT fell by the wayside January 1st, 1937?

What would the 27,000 ton Yorktown Class carriers have looked like, and How would the Essex Class change?
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