Comments by "Steve Valley" (@stevevalley7835) on "US Navy Construction in WW2 - The Ships Start Coming And They Don't Stop Coming" video.

@brendonbewersdorf986 I did an exercise a few years ago, where France claimed the three Mackensen hulls that were in the water as war reparations, towed them back to France. Two completed using the armament that had been built for the Normanies, and one completed as a carrier, instead of Bearn. I'm sure a converted Mackensen would be inefficient as a carrier, just as the US and British conversions were not as efficient at maximizing the number of aircraft for their displacement, but it would be better than Bearn. Interesting as the French 13.4" and 5.5" were all a smidge smaller and lighter than the German 13.8" and 5.9". Of course, if France had two newly completed Mackensen class capital ships, they would not have gotten the licenses for future construction that they used to build Dunkerque and Strasbourg.
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@brendonbewersdorf986 when I was working that exercise, I found speculative drawings of a Mackensen carrier conversion. The original "as built" drawing shows the after flight deck sloping up hill to help slow the plans on landing, somewhat as Bearn had. The forward flight deck was cut off halfway between the island and bow, with a flying off platform from the forward hangar, much as the Courageouses had. The "after refit" drawing shows a single, level, full length flight deck. Both drawings show the hanger extending from the position of A turret aft to Y turret, with the flight deck supported on columns beyond the hangar, and the casemate mounted secondary retained for anti-ship defense.
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