The US Navy risked its battleships and carriers because they were confident they could be replaced, via production and switching ships from the Atlantic to the

The US Navy risked its battleships and carriers because they were confident they could be replaced, via production and switching ships from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The German navy, in both wars, tended not to because they knew they couldn't replace them. The Bismarck was the exception that proved the rule. The Japanese did not really risk their best battleships until things were pretty desperate.