I heard that naval convention of the time was to estimate the minimum engine size a ship required and then use an engine 20% bigger/more powerful but there was a miscommunication when building the US Iowa-Class ships that resulted in the engine size being increased twice (44% larger) and that this was the reason the ships were so fast. I've done some research but haven't found anything that corroborates the claim, so I'm hoping someone here can definitively refute or prove the claim.
Thank you all in advance.
My post may not meet sub requirements. My apologies if that is the case.
I am a naval architect and marine engineer. I worked for Naval Sea Systems Command in the 80s during the last round of upgrades to the BBs.
The Iowa class don't have engines. They are steam ships. It would take a lot of mistakes to increase output pressure and volume in the boilers and maximum rotational speed of the turbines and the load of the double reduction gears. I have NOT compared original specifications with as-built documentation. All that material has been declassified by now and could be obtained from NAVSEA, SNAME, or ASNE.
Another line of inquiry is the dynamic resistance of the hull in the water. It is very possible the naval architecture team overachieved and the hull needed less power to make speed than anticipated.
Also note that contemporaneous public data about speed would have one number and the classified capability would be higher. Current open source data is consistent with speed ranges listed from 33 kts to 40 kts.
NAVSEA Public Affairs is here https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/RMC/MARMC/Public-Inquiries/
I believe ASNE papers in abstract are all available online and know there were publications in the 80s and 90s about the last round of refits that included historical references.
I believe the boilers were Babcock and Wilcox and that company may have pertinent information. I don't remember who made the turbines, the reduction gears, or propellers. If you find the right person at B&W all that information should be available.
Oh - the US Naval Institute may have material also.
Apologies for lack of rigor and making a homework assignment.