As for CB3, a waste of resources that could have gone into another Essex Class carrier or similar. why?Īs in my original post the first two Alaska's would have made adequate aircraft carriers if converted as per the 'springstyle' proposals which were considered early enough to have been enacted before the ships had progressed too far.

As for CB3 Hawaii - laid down 20 December 1943. None of the Alaska class was laid down till after Pearl harbour CB1 Alaska- 17 December 1941 and CB2 Guam 02 February 1942, launched respectively 15 August 1943 and 12 November 1943 by which time air power had replaced gun power as the main offensive arm of the fleet. The US Navy realised that if they could build a 33 knot battleship then so could the other major navies. As oppposed to WW1 battlecruisers which had a speed advantage over contemporary battleships the Alaska large cruisers were designed after the Iowa class battleships which could match them in speed.

The Alaska class were not particularly supported with in US navy from conception and seem to have been a result of President Roosevelt's insistence.

Iowa class in world of warships