Photo #: S-584-107 70,000 ton Battleship ... December 13, 1916 Preliminary design plan of a hypothetical battleship created at the request of the U.S. Senate and submitted to the Senate on 14 February 1917. Senator Benjamin R. Tillman of South Carolina had sponsored a resolution calling for the design of the battleship of maximum size and capability that could use the Panama Canal and existing harbor facilities. The Navy recommended against building such ships but delivered plans illustrating potentially feasible designs that reflected differing priorities. This design (# 1) offered maximum protection on a 70,000 ton displacement. No such ships were built. This plan provides twelve 16-inch guns, electric drive machinery, and a speed of 26.5 knots in a ship 975 feet long on the waterline, 108 feet in beam, and with a normal displacement of 70,000 tons. Note: The original document was a blueprint (white on dark blue). The original plan is in the 1911-1925 "Spring Styles Book". U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 528KB; 2475 x 1095 pixels