British control of the Panama Canal would reshape naval design

How would British control of the Panama Canal affect relations with the United States and American warship design?

It would give Britain major economic leverage and might free U.S. battleships from canal dimensions, but oversized ships would lose inter-ocean mobility.

The United States would view British control of the canal zone with deep suspicion. London would gain influence over a central artery of global trade and naval movement, even if neither country wanted a war over access. American designers might respond by abandoning canal limits and building larger battleships. Ships too large for the British-controlled locks would lose the ability to shift quickly between the Atlantic and Pacific, even in a later alliance.