By 1916, Tillman’s requested limits focused on canal length and beam and on a roughly 34-foot harbour draft. Within those bounds, one proposal combined four triple 16-inch turrets with a 30-knot speed on about 63,000 tons. Its long, relatively narrow hull helps explain how the study pursued that speed while remaining compatible with the canal. The comparison with the later Montana class shows how close the study came to a recognizable American battleship layout, though Tillman III was intended to be faster. This made the design more than a paper curiosity.
Notable Point · 19:08-23:20
Panama Canal limits and a 30-knot capital ship
The 1916 studies use Panama Canal dimensions and harbour draft as their principal limits, producing a 63,000-ton proposal with twelve 16-inch guns and 30-knot speed.