Editing Indiana-class battleship (section)

== Background ==
The ''Indiana'' class was very controversial at the time of its approval by the [[United States Congress]]. A policy board convened by the [[Secretary of the Navy]] [[Benjamin F. Tracy]] came up with an ambitious 15-year naval construction program on 16 July 1889, three years after the {{USS|Maine|ACR-1|2}} and the {{USS|Texas|1892|2}} were authorized. The battleships in their plan would include ten [[first-rate]] long-range battleships with a {{convert|17|kn|lk=on}} top speed and a steaming radius of {{cvt|5400|nmi}} at {{cvt|10|kn}}—{{cvt|6500|nmi}} maximum. These ocean-going ships were envisioned as a possible [[fleet in being]], a fleet capable of raiding an enemy's home ports and intended to deter powerful warships from ranging too far from home. Twenty-five short-range [[second-rate]] battleships would provide home defense in both the Atlantic and Pacific and support the faster and larger long-range vessels. With a range of roughly {{cvt|2700|nmi}} at 10 knots and a [[draft (hull)|draft]] of {{cvt|23.5|ft|lk=on}}, they would roam from the [[St. Lawrence River]] in the north to the [[Windward Islands]] and [[Panama]] in the south and would be able to enter all the ports in the southern United States.{{sfn|Friedman|1985|pp=23–24, 29}}{{sfn|Reilly|Scheina|1980|p=52}}

It was proposed, probably for cost reasons, that the short-range battleships should have a hierarchy of three subclasses. The first would mount four {{convert|13|in|adj=on|0}} guns each on eight {{convert|8000|LT|t ST|adj=on}} ships, the second would mount four {{convert|12|in|adj=on|0}} guns each on ten {{convert|7150|LT|t ST|adj=on}} ships, and the third would mount two 12-inch and two {{convert|10|in|adj=on|0}} guns each on five {{convert|6000|LT|t ST|adj=on}} ships. The two battleships already under construction, ''Texas'' and ''Maine'', were to be grouped under the last class. In addition, 167 smaller ships, including [[Naval ram|rams]], [[cruiser]]s and [[torpedo boat]]s, would be built, coming to a total cost of [[United States dollar|$]]281.55 million,{{sfn|Reilly|Scheina|1980|p=52}}{{sfn|Friedman|1985|p=24}} approximately equal to the sum of the entire US Navy budget during the previous 15 years (adjusted for inflation, $6.6 billion in 2009 dollars).{{sfn|US Navy Budget: 1794–2004}}

Congress balked at the plan, seeing in it an end to the United States [[United States non-interventionism|policy of isolationism]] and the beginning of [[imperialism]]. Even some supporters of naval expansion were wary; Senator [[Eugene Hale]] feared that because the proposal was so large, the entire bill would be shot down and no money appropriated for any ships. However, in April 1890, the [[United States House of Representatives]] approved funding for three 8,000-long ton battleships. Tracy, trying to soothe tensions within Congress, remarked that these ships were so powerful only twelve would be necessary instead of the 35 called for in the original plan. He also slashed the operating costs of the Navy by giving the remaining [[American Civil War|Civil War]]-era [[Monitor (warship)|monitors]]—which were utterly obsolete by this time—to navy militias operated by the states.{{sfn|Friedman|1985|pp=24–25}} The appropriation was also approved by the Senate, and in total three coast-defense battleships (the ''Indiana'' class), a cruiser, and a torpedo boat were given official approval and funding on 30 June 1890.{{sfn|Friedman|1985|pp=24–25}}{{sfn|Gardiner|Lambert|1992|p=121}}

The first class of short-range ships as envisioned by the policy board were to mount [[13"/35 caliber gun|13-inch/35]] [[caliber#Caliber as measurement of length|caliber]] and new {{convert|5|in|adj=on|0}} guns, with {{cvt|17|in|0}} of [[belt armor]], {{cvt|2.75|in|0}} of deck armor and {{cvt|4|in|0}} of armor over the [[casemate]]s. The ''Indiana'' class, as actually built, exceeded the design in displacement by 25 percent, but most other aspects were relatively similar to the original plan. An {{convert|18|in|adj=on|0}} belt and a secondary battery of {{convert|8|in|adj=on|0}} and {{convert|6|in|adj=on|0}} guns were adopted, the latter because the [[Bureau of Ordnance]] did not have the capability to construct [[Quick-firing gun|rapid-firing]] 5-inch weaponry. The larger weapons were much slower firing and much heavier, but without the bigger guns, the ships would not be able to penetrate the armor of foreign battleships.{{sfn|Friedman|1985|pp=26–27}}