 In view of the board 's lack of urgency , C & R took nearly a year to research this project . The proposed main battery of eight 14 @-@ inch guns was kept constant while other factors were calculated — speeds of 26 , 29 and 32 knots ; operating ranges of 5000 , 7000 and 8000 miles ; and belt armor of 8 , 11 and 14 inches . On 12 July 1912 , Naval Constructor R.H. Robinson presented these studies at a lecture he gave at the Naval War College with the General Board in attendance . There , he emphasized 8 inches as an absolute minimum for armor protection and recommended a radius of 8000 miles , the same as in U.S. battleships . The General Board 's reaction was to request two battlecruisers for the 1914 Naval Building Program and ask C & R for a slightly modified version of the proposed ship , but the Naval War College felt the design had serious problems and that a fast battleship would be a more practical option . 
