Editing Alaska-class cruiser (section)

=== Possible conversion to aircraft carriers ===
[[Image:USS Alaska (CB-1) launching.jpg|thumb|right|upright|{{USS|Alaska|CB-1|2}} being [[ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 15 August 1943]]

Yet another drastic change was considered during the "carrier panic" in late 1941, when the US Navy realized that they needed more [[aircraft carrier]]s as quickly as possible. Many hulls currently under construction were considered for conversion into carriers. At different times, they considered some or all of the {{sclass|Cleveland|cruiser|0}} [[light cruiser]]s, the {{sclass|Baltimore|cruiser|0}} [[heavy cruiser]]s, the ''Alaska'' class, and even one of the {{sclass|Iowa|battleship|3}}s; in the end, they chose the ''Cleveland''s,<ref name=Friedman190>Friedman, 190.</ref> resulting in the conversion of nine ships under construction at the [[New York Shipbuilding Corporation]] shipyard as the [[light aircraft carrier]]s comprising the {{sclass|Independence|aircraft carrier|0}}.

A conversion of the ''Alaska'' cruisers to carriers was "particularly attractive"<ref name=Friedman190/> because of the many similarities between the design of the {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier|2}}s and the ''Alaska'' class, including the same machinery.<ref name = "Fitzsimons 1 58">Fitzsimons, Volume 1, 58.</ref> However, when ''Alaska'' cruisers were compared to the ''Essex'' carriers, converted cruisers would have had a shorter flight deck (so they could carry only 90% of the aircraft),<ref name=Friedman190/> would have been {{convert|11|ft|m}} lower in the water, and could travel {{convert|8000|nmi|km}} less at {{convert|15|kn}}. In addition, the large cruiser design did not include the extensive underwater protections found in normal carriers due to the armor weight devoted to counter shell fire.{{Clarify|What does this bulky sentence mean to convey? Its meaning is unclear as written.|date=April 2021}} Lastly, an ''Alaska'' conversion could not satisfy the navy's goal of having new aircraft carriers quickly, as the work needed to modify the ships into carriers would entail long delays. With this in mind, all planning to convert the ''Alaska''s was abandoned on 7 January 1942.<ref name=Friedman191>Friedman, 191.</ref>