User blog comment:AdvisorSmith/Ye Olde WWII Aircraft Carrier Discussions Blog/@comment-27822411-20160213014407

I was about to say the Midway class, but then I realised that it wasn't completed until after the war. So yeah..back to the drawing board.

Still, US' Essex class were in pretty much most cases the best carrier. They had massive airwings of some of the most advanced aircraft in the war, great AA defence and goo speed. The only problem was their lack of an armoured deck, but hey if it meant massive airwings, then Im all for that.

Really, the US had the best carrier of WW2, because no one else really built good carriers at the same time. Japan's Taiho class was one of a kind, and had flaws with its protection scheme and the Unryu was a Hiryu clone, so no good there. Still, there Shokaku class was a formidable class, though the Essex class still edges out.

Maybe we should have catergories for carriers like:

Best protocarrier (Ships like the Hosho, Hermes, Argus etc)

Washington Conversion carriers (Courageous, Akagi, Kaga, Lexington)

Treaty carriers (Soryu, Ranger, Yorktown, Ark Royal etc)

Stop gap carriers (Wasp, Japanese light carriers etc)

Pre war carriers (Illustrious, Shokaku etc)

Converted Merchant carriers (Some Escort carriers, Hiyo etc)

Just my few dollars XD