Abdul Hadi Pasha
Banned
Welcome.
The reason for the difference, beyond the fact that even in 1940 the future was clearly in the air, is that the carriers were
1. Lighter in tonnage and Congress approved ship types by tonnage.
2. Less costly to build. Iowa & her sisters were $125,000,000 (in 1942 dollars!) per unit. Each Essex was ~$65,000,000.
The Two Navy Act authorized specific ships, though.
I think the reason is that we had enough BBs built or under construction, and that the battleship-orientation of the navy is largely mythological. We were fully aware of the utility of carriers and their power, and we didn't have enough for Orange, let alone a potential European front.
In 1940 we had, besides the older ships, 2 North Carolinas, 4 South Dakotas, and 4 Iowas under construction. With two more Iowas and 5 Montanas, we would have had twice the battleship power of all the Axis powers combined, not to mention we had the RN on our side.