Comments by "Patrick Donnolley" (@ph89787) on "The Drydock - Episode 090" video.

  1. London Naval Treaty was the main reason and quickness of the design. With War on the horizon, the US Navy wanted hulls in the water. In the case of carrier hulls that meant dusting off the Yorktown's blueprints. That being said, there were some improvements on Hornet that weren't present on Yorktown and would later be added to Enterprise. A longer flight deck, newer radar and firing control and more AA placements. Again, had the Japanese (or the Axis as a whole) weren't as aggressive it would have meant more time for additional changes. Which may include alternate machinery spaces, torpedo protection and who knows what else. Essentially turning Hornet into a proto-Essex. Honestly despite what had happened, the three carriers took a hell of a lot of punishment and honestly if it wasn't for the IJN deciding to finish the job at Midway and Santa Cruz. It would have been likely that both ships would have survived the war along with Enterprise.
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