In the first year of the war, we have lost four carriers: Lexington, Yorktown, Wasp, and Hornet. We have only the damaged Saratoga and Enterprise left in the Pacific. New carriers are on the way, but it will be several months until the first, the Essex, is ready for action.
bump
“contemplating the moon,
I mourn
the enemy’s sacrifice.”
That is great,and so is “Mysterious voice breaks in on German radio broadcast” “In one minute you will hear Herr Goebbels lying news.” That sounds like there is a story behind it.
We do have many carriers on the way; at least 12 Essex class fleet carriers are in the process of construction. And yes, while it will be many more months before Essex is available, as an emergency stop-gap, six Cleveland class light cruiser hulls are being converted into Independence class light carriers, and they will be ready before the Essex class come on line. Merchant hulls are also being converted into escort carriers. Not really fit to fight a fleet engagement, they will have to do for a while. The Japanese have already done the same, converting some passenger liners and merchant ships into carriers.
But there is one big difference between the USN and IJN; no later than mid-1944, the USN is going to be absolutely gigantic. In the meantime, the IJN will only complete ONE fleet carrier, Taiho.
Kido Butai was Japan’s one and only strategic weapons system at the start of the war. It has been gutted at Midway, and while the remaining shell can still assert local superiority in the Pacific, that superiority is temporary. Once lost it will never be regained.
Every admiral on both sides of the Pacific know it, too.
” Lexington, Yorktown, Wasp, and Hornet”
Let’s not forget the Langley. Although classed as a seaplane tender by that point, she was used for ASW and ferrying aircraft until sunk by the Nips. I think she was still classified as a CV at that point.