Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:21:15-1:21:24

Could the Standard-type battleships gain more speed?

A larger speed increase appears technically plausible if the United States had devoted enough time and priority to the refits.

PropulsionShip ModernisationStandard Type BattleshipsUS NavyWarship Speed
Watch at this timeFull video guide
Question

Could the US Standard-type battleships have received much larger speed increases during their refits?

Short answer

Probably, if the Navy had enough time and made the speed increase a genuine modernization priority.

Notes

The Standard-type battleships probably could have received speed increases comparable to Japanese reconstructions. That judgment depends on the Navy having enough time and genuinely wanting to pursue the work. No automatic improvement or detailed engineering figure is claimed. Modernization priority and schedule appear to be the limiting conditions rather than an absolute technical barrier.