Panama Canal limits and US battleship hulls

If the Panama Canal opened to the New Panamax standard, how would it affect US Navy battleship development?

A wider canal would let US battleships become broader and more seaworthy instead of being forced into long, narrow hull forms shaped by canal limits.

A canal built to the wider New Panamax standard from the outset would relax the beam limit on American battleships. The Iowa class illustrates the long, narrow hull and bow arrangements used to combine high speed with the existing restriction. With more beam available, designers could use fuller bows better suited to North Atlantic conditions. The counterfactual concerns hull proportions and seakeeping, with no specific new armament or displacement proposed.