Exceptional speed demanded extensive compromises, much as treaty limits later distorted interwar cruiser designs. A ship optimized around one headline requirement cannot freely balance armour, armament, range, machinery, and cost. Even navies that evaded treaty limits still designed around what they believed could pass political scrutiny. American sea power was also politically unstable: naval ambition existed, but Congress could alternately enable or constrain the fleet.
Notable Point · 3:53-7:56
Speed compromises meet American sea-power politics
The Columbia class becomes an early example of how one dominant requirement distorts a cruiser design and how US politics shaped naval power.