Tillman died on 3 July 1918, and the 1920 South Dakota design was firmed up soon afterward. The timing supports an interpretive comparison: without his committee pressure, the Navy may have lost at least several knots of speed from its ambitions. That does not establish Tillman as the sole cause of the class’s characteristics. The passage also places the South Dakotas among the unbuilt post-First World War capital ships whose cancellation obscures an important generation of naval design.
Notable Point · 23:25-26:03
Tillman’s death and the slower 1920 South Dakota design
The video links Tillman’s death in July 1918 with a loss of political pressure for speed before the 1920 South Dakota design was settled.