USS Panama BBM-01

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Alternate History The USS Panama and her sister ship, the USS Puerto Rico, emerged from a 1917 requirement for a "Micro Battleship." Like Germany's Deutschland Class Pocket Battleships, this new vessel would need to pack a large main battery while keeping its displacement under 18,000 tons. The resulting design featured three double turrets of 11-inch main cannons and an assortment of six and four-inch secondaries. Unfortunately, the poor management of space meant that the ship suffered from more drawbacks than benefits. With a top speed of only 16.5 knots and a range of just over 3,900 nautical miles, it was poorly suited for long-range duties. It couldn't keep pace with heavy cruisers designed to defeat it, nor could it match modern battleships due to its lightweight armor. Ultimately, the Panama Class served only as convoy escorts at the start of World War II, later being relegated to coastal patrols. Both ships were decommissioned and scrapped in 1947.