Evening journal., 1908-11-09
BATTLESHIP DELAWARE
BY William B. carswel.
Late Passed Assistant Engineer
United States Navy.

ware now building at Newport News.
Va. is the first of her name in our navy.
Il may be Of interest to ali Deawareans
to learn that this statement Is not cor
rect for the records OF tho Navy De-
partment show that in the navy thore
have been five ships of various sizes
which have been called Delaware" 1t
appears, therefore. that the name OF our
State has been well represented In the
service and that the records OF these
ships show also. that they have done
very efficient work both in war and in
peace. / take great pleasure in furnish
ing YOU with this short sketch of their
services from Information received from
the Navy Department
The first OF these-ship-rlgged. S2l tons,
20 guns, $50 men, was built or purchased
In Philadelphia In l7I6 While under the
command of Captain Charles Alexander
in l717, she was captured while aground
IN the Delaware by the enemy whose
blockade prevented her from getting 10
sea. This ship shared in the capture CT
I'll. B. NJ. Augusta" GA guns and II. b.
NJ. Merline" Is guns.
The second Delaware" was a ship Of
the same relative size at the first having
been built or purchased In philadelphia a
in 1898 at a cost of $50 .563OO She was one
Of the first cruisers to get TO sea during
the French-American Naval War and un-
der the successive command OF the IA
nous Captain Stephen Decatur. Thomas
Baker and J. A. spotswood, oruised along
our coast and in the West Indies.
In June. l79s. of the Delaware Capes
she captured the French schooner LA
Croyable." IA guns, 20 men. This was
the first vessel to be captured in this
French war. In the summer an6 autumn
OF 1893, she shared in the capture OF she
following ships-"Ie Jaloux." IA guns. 20
men and lie Sans Pareil." IS guns. 81
men. In 1893. she captured the lie
Marsuin." "Lo Renard" and Ocean"
This ship was solf ~ Baltimore for S23,-
10000 in 1901.
Tho next Delaware" was a line of bat
tlcship carrying 81 guns. $50 men. 2,83
tons. length loS IT,. beam SAC It,. hold
22.5 II. She was built al the Gosport Navy
Yard, Va. iSi7-iS2O. and was one Of the
heaviest armed and finest ships of that
time. SUCCESSFULLY she was the flagship
Of Commodorcs VIM. NJ. Crane and ID. r.
Patterson. Mediterranean squadrons. and
Of Commodore Charles Morris. South At
lantic and Mediterranean Squadrons. Dur
ing that time she was commanded in sue
cession by Captains John Downes IA. T..
Ballard. j. b. Nicholson and Chas. $.
McCaulley. Laid up in ordinary az Nor
folk Navy Yard, Va. from 1853 to the
Civil War she was at last destroyed by
United states forces in 1861 10 prevent her
from falling into the hands OF the Con-
federates
The Indian figure head OF this fine old
ship was preserved and is now at the Ma
val Academy at Annapolis. Md. an hon
ored relic Of the old navy. For many
years II was the custom for the wooden
sections" IN mathematics to salute this
/ figure head as they passed it and In this
manner secure its benehcent influence TO
aid them I'm successfully passing their cx-
amnations. The regard too, in which
this old figure head was held by the old
officers Of the navy was shown when at
the time "old {. r. r." as he was Ia
mllarly known. was superintendent Of the
Naval Academy. Some of the midship-
men. hlariously inclined. decorated the
image. putting on its head large stove
pipe hat decorated with feather. in its
mouth a huge corn cob pipe and nailed on
TO its arm hatchet II the admiral could
have succeeded in finding out the young
gentlemen who did this. their immediate
dismissal would have followed, but n
spite OF all he could do TO find them he
was unable to do so. The storm Of indig-
nation which arose was so great that
that similar doings were never repeated.
The next delaware" was fourth raio
gunboat 357 tons. guns, commissioned
at Philadelphia Navy Yard December 7.
1861. Lieutenant Commander S. r. Quaok-
enbush commanding
She served in the North Atlantic Block
aiding Squadron; participated In battles al
Elizabeth City, N. c.. February 10, and al
Roanoke Island n. c., Feb. z. s. 1862
made reconnaissance I'm Chowan river and
engaged at Winton N. C.. Feb 1890 1852
was present at the capture Of New Berne
n. c.. March 1914, 1862; partook in thC
expedition to Washington. ~ 9. Marcl
a. 1862 made reconnaissance In NeusS
river In cooperation with army cxpedi-
tlon against Goldsboro. n. c., Dec 1916
1862 and IN 1864 was engaged in operations
IN tho James River. Va. During the oper.
ations in the Albermarle and Pimlico
Sounds she was the flagship OF Rear Ad
miral Rowan.
In 1868 "a Spar deck screw sloop of wal
OF 1854 tons, first rate. was launched al
Portsmouth. n. II. and then called thc
"Piscataqua." On May 10. 1863, her nam,
was changed TO Delaware" and whn,
she bore that name served IN the Asiati'
Squadron as flagship Of Rear Admira
Rowan. commander Earle English com
mandinE.
During the Revolutionary war ther'
were also i've other vessels to which th'
name Delaware" was given. most O
which were armed privately. In view o
the above facts it would seem that th'
name has always been a favorte one.
is well to call attention from the list o
commanders given, that the ships calle,
Delaware" have been commanded h.
some OF the most renowned officers o
I our navy.
Fined For Assault and Battery.
=. .