<P> The United States Navy began the construction of battleships with USS Texas in 1892 , but the first battleship under that designation would be USS Indiana . Texas and USS Maine , commissioned three years later , were part of the New Navy program of the late 19th century , a proposal by then Secretary of the Navy William H. Hunt to match Europe 's navies that ignited a years - long debate that was suddenly settled in Hunt 's favor when the Brazilian Empire commissioned the battleship Riachuelo . In 1890 , Alfred Thayer Mahan 's book The Influence of Sea Power upon History was published and significantly influenced future naval policy - as an indirect of its influence on Secretary Benjamin F. Tracy , the Navy Act of June 30 , 1890 authorized the construction of `` three sea - going , coast - line battle ships '' which became the Indiana - class . The Navy Act of July 19 , 1892 authorized construction of a fourth `` sea - going , coast - line battle ship '' , which became USS Iowa . Despite much later claims that these were to be purely defensive and were authorized as `` coastal defense ships '' , they were almost immediately used for offensive operations in the Spanish American War . By the start of the 20th century , the United States Navy had in service or under construction the three Illinois - class and two Kearsarge - class battleships , making the United States the world 's 5th strongest power at sea from a nation that had been 12th in 1870 . </P>
what was the name of the first battleship commissioned by the united states government
USS Indiana