UsedSeat

So i need 9.000 "overall xp" or 9.000 xp with S. Carolina to research Wyoming and then 9.400 to get he first carrier, right? The different xp types got me confused, but the xp star with the yellow marking around it, is xp I can use to research any ship, as long as I got the previous ship researched? Yes, I'm a noob Edit. can i research any ship with the xp I got on Atago? (premium ship I bought) and is the Japanese carrier better than the US?

I've googled a bunch, but I can't seem to figure out how to advance to an aircraft carrier? I was able to research a couple of ships, even though i didn't have xp in the previous ship, down to the S. Carolina. Do I need to play the carolina to advance to carrier ? This is my current position in the tech tree: