The Illinois refit begins with the desire to replace weak machinery and raise the ship to 24 knots, but the new installation creates a severe fore-and-aft weight offset. Displacement, funnels, belt and deck armour, guns, beam, and draft all need adjustment to bring the design back into balance. Increasing one capability repeatedly forces a reduction elsewhere, even when the turbine itself is an obvious improvement. Machinery, protection, firepower, trim, and operational speed make modernization a whole-ship design exercise.
Chapter · 2:07:43-2:16:48
Refits rebalance speed, armor, and firepower
Modernizing the battleship Illinois with turbines means trading speed, belt protection, gun power, funnels, and trim against a fixed displacement budget.