“That is probably next to impossible now. No steel mill in the United States can manufacture 18 inch thick Krupp process armor steel needed for the turrets, barbettes, armor deck and armor belt. “
Are you saying we can’t build steel mills?
The fast BBs may be, as many say, useless. The infrastructure to build them is not.
Did you know that there was once a steel mill on the streets of NYC to support the Brooklyn Navy Yard?
We probably have rolling mills that can roll 18 in plate
No one in the United States has armor hardened that thickness of plate in 70 years. No one has welded 18 in armor plate in 70 years. There was also the largest steel mill in the world in Baltimore during WWII. Could it be done, yes all you have to do is pony up the tax money to pay for it. Then you have a ship that is a threat for a 25 mile radius.