Yep...after seeing big expensive battleships sunk by those pesky winged things at Taranto, Pearl Harbor, and off of Singapore I guess the world's admirals figured there wasn't much use in heavily investing in more targets.
The battleships still proved pretty useful in the AA and shore bombardment role however. Imagine the volume of AA fire one of them could put up. It was handy having them nearby when the kamikazes came hunting for carriers.