Opinions varied among top naval leaders ; some U.S. naval leaders were discussing the all - big - gun concept in parallel with the British HMS Dreadnought , while other designers felt that the torpedo would completely replace the gun .
Battleships should become heavily armored launch platforms .
Opinions varied among top naval leaders ; some U.S. naval leaders were discussing the all - big - gun concept in parallel with the British HMS Dreadnought , while other designers felt that the torpedo would completely replace the gun , and battleships should become heavily armored launch platforms .