 There was also the political climate to consider — and the weather was not good for battlecruisers . Just as it was thought that Congress would not approve any battlecruisers without reducing the number of battleships , the Navy decided that battleships , such as the new " super @-@ dreadnought " Nevada class whose construction had just begun , were more important since Congress — in the Navy 's eyes — was not approving enough battleships . In 1903 the General Board assumed that the U.S. would build two battleships per year , but Congress " balked " , approving just one ship in 1904 ( fiscal year 1905 ) , two ships in 1905 ( FY 1906 ) , one ship in both 1906 and 1907 ( FY 1907 – 1908 ) , and one ship in both 1912 and 1913 ( FY 1913 – 1914 ) . The approval of two New York @-@ class ships in 1910 ( FY 1911 ) instead of just one was apparently " something of a personal triumph for Secretary of the Navy von Lengerke Meyer . " 
