Under the encirclement offensive of four German Navy battleships, with flames blazing aboard her as well, the fate of the battleship Illinois seemed already decided. Although this battleship displaced as much as 58,000 tons, mounted three triple 50-caliber 410mm Main Guns, and wore thick armor, she likely could not hold out under the concentrated fire of four German Navy battleships.
Boom! Boom!
With the aid of autoloaders, the German Navy's four Helgoland-class battleships all achieved a firing rate of one round per minute. This meant that every minute, thirty-six heavy Armor-piercing Shells came crashing down viciously upon the battleship Illinois. Guided by Fire-control Radar and the blaze aboard the Illinois, shells struck the Illinois almost every minute.
Although the Illinois had a 307mm-thick belt of side armor, 495mm of armor on the fronts of her turrets, and 445mm of armor on her conning tower, even the 380mm Main Guns of the German Navy's Helgoland-class battleships would find it difficult to penetrate such thick armor if they hit her turret faces or conning tower. However, the rest of the warship was nowhere near as well protected. If hit, those areas could still inflict tremendous casualties upon the battleship.
The Illinois was not the only vessel in the American Navy's 2nd Capital Ships formation teetering on the brink. The battleship Kentucky, at the very end of the battle line, was in just as dire a situation. Three German Navy Moltke-class Battlecruisers were launching an encirclement offensive against her.
Boom!
A 380mm Shell fired from the battlecruiser Goeben scored a hit, striking Z Turret on the after deck of the battleship Kentucky. Regrettably, however, the shell failed to penetrate the turret's 495mm-thick armor.
Yet less than two minutes later, another shell fired from the battlecruiser Seydlitz struck the Kentucky once again. This shell