Earliest American Battleships

In 1886 Congress authorized the first modern warships.  They were cruisers.  A battlecruiser is a warship with the guns of a battleship but without the armor.  Not until 1895 did the first “Battleships” join the fleet. These were the Texas and the Maine.  

For more information on U.S. Navy's Earliest Battleships

here is an installment from series on early battleships by myself: http://dld.bz/fd6Q9

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