There are AI limitations in the game.
In RL, IJN formations would likely steam from A to B in line astern in many cases, at fairly high speed, zigzagging. In combat formation, IJN CVs assumed a box, typically, with around 7
kilometers between CVs. RL zig zagging was complex, too. not a ^v^v^v^v shape, but many legs of different angles off the base course, on short time scales (short enough to FUBAR a setup).
Screening ships (CAs and BBs) would be displaced a similar distance from the box in an arrowhead, so around 7km port of the left CV, and 7km right of the stbd CV. Another would be a similar distance ahead of the middle of the box. DDs would be all around (plus a guard DD with each CV).
The AI does not allow this. The largest spacing in random groups is 1 or 2 km (been a while since I messed with this). Scripted groups have their own problems, you can set the formation, but there are other, nasty issues with them.
RL IJN ZZ patterns:
tater