Ultimate RatioReg penned an article for USNI that asked the question "must every carier be a supercarrier?" My answer is no, no it doesn't. (Read it here)
The US Navy is in the fortunate position of being in the midst of transformation. An unwanted transformation but one none the less.
My proposal is simple and it echoes the calls that others have already made. Why are we basing our naval air forces around 11 big deck carriers? Why not make some basic modifications to the USS America class, and develop them into Strike Carriers?
We've done it before. Adding length to these ships and giving them catapults and angled decks is not something we should automatically shy away from. CV-9, USS Essex when originally designed had no catapults, no angled flight deck and its deminsions were remarkably similar to the USS America's. She was modernized after the war and served with distinction.
We can do this again.
Instead of the Navy having 11 supercarriers, it can have 6 super carriers and 10 strike carriers...or any number, you pick it but you get my point.
Smaller, slightly fewer aircraft but with greater numbers able to be in many more places make this a sensible option. Tweaking escort numbers might prove to be a challenge but its doable and since the manning tables for the America class is so much smaller than a super carrier, it should not be a strain on manpower.
