Without the Spanish-American War, US naval growth likely continues with more cruisers

How would US shipbuilding change if the Spanish-American War had not occurred?

Overall expansion probably continues, but the navy may build more armoured cruisers and concentrate less quickly on battleships.

Congress was already moving toward greater naval funding under the influence of Mahan and other advocates. The Spanish-American War demonstrated the fleet's utility, but it did not create the entire expansion impulse. Without the war, the United States might continue its existing armoured-cruiser line for longer instead of returning so strongly to battleship construction. The counterfactual therefore changes fleet composition more plausibly than overall naval growth.