The South Carolina-class battleships, South Carolina and Michigan (pictured), were built during the first decade of the twentieth century. They were the first American dreadnoughts, far outstripping older battleships that relied on smaller fast-firing guns at close range. The two ships were designed by Rear Admiral Washington L. Capps with a homogeneous battery of superfiring large guns and relatively thick armor, both favored by naval theorists. They were smaller than foreign dreadnoughts because of congressionally mandated limits on displacement (weight), and the inherent design trade-offs between armament, armor, and propulsion left them with a top speed of about 18.5 kn (21 mph; 34 km/h). Both ships were soon surpassed by faster battleships and by ever-larger and stronger super-dreadnoughts, relegating them to serving with older, obsolete battleships during the First World War. Both ships were scrapped after the war with the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Carolina-class_battleship

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1833:

Noongar warrior Yagan, wanted for leading attacks on white colonists in Western Australia, was killed, becoming a symbol of the unjust and sometimes brutal treatment of the indigenous peoples of Australia by colonial settlers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yagan

1848:

London Waterloo station, Britain's busiest railway station by passenger usage, was opened by the London and South Western Railway. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Waterloo_station

1991:

Shortly after takeoff from King Abdulaziz International Airport, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 caught fire and crashed, killing all 261 people on board. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria_Airways_Flight_2120

2011:

An explosion at the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base killed 13 people, including the head of the Cyprus Navy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelos_Florakis_Naval_Base_explosion

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

acquis: 1. (international law) The accumulated legislation and decisions of any international community. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/acquis

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I am a member of a party of one, and I live in an age of fear.   --E. B. White https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/E._B._White