Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1909-02-06
BATTLESH|P DELAWARE
LAUNCHED TODAY
At NEWPORT
Giant Vessel for the United
States Navy Slides Into
Water Without
Delay.
SURPRISES EVERY
BAIILESHIP AFLOAT
The Latest Addition to Our Navy
Exceeds All Ships OF
Every Navy In Ton
mage and Equip
ment.

Newport News, Va, Feb. 6.-In the
presence of 5000 people, the giant
| 2O.O0O-ton battleship Delaware was
successfully launched today. The
sponsor, Miss Anna p. Cahall. of
| Bridgeville, Delaware. was given an
ovation as did also Governor Penne
will and Secretary Newberry. AS the
| big ship glided from the ways into
the water, Miss Cahall broke a bot
tie of wine against the side of the
vessel and christened her the Della
ware"
Following the launching, a lunch
con was served by officials of the
company which built the ship, at
which the governors of Virginia and
Delaware, several members of Con-
gress. naval officials and other prom
| inent guests We're present.
Compared with the battleships,
com mpleted or under construction, OF
| the navy of any foreign country, the
| Delaware surpasses all. She is one of
| four sister ships authorized by Con-
gress which will form an indomitable
| squadron. The other vessels are the
North Dakota, being built at quincy,
| Massachusetts; the Florida, which
will be built at the New York navy
ard, and the Utah, to be built at
| Camden, New Jersey.
The Delaware is to carry as heavy
armor and as powerful armament as
any known vessel of its class; will
! have a speed of 21 knots, which is be-
! lieved to be the highest practicable
| for a vessel of this type and class, and
will have the highest practicable
radius of action. The arrangement
of her main battery guns is such as to
permit broadside fire of rs per cent
greater than that of the broadside
| fire of any battleship now built, or,
! so far as is known, under construc
ton. Her defensive qualities, other
| than those dependent upon armor pro
| lection are such as to give the maxi
mum degree of protection to all the
vital portions by means of unusually
| effective campartmental subdivision,
so that in conjunction with her armor
| protection, the defensive qualities of
| this vessel are believed to be distinct
| y superior to those OF any battleship
| hitherto designed. The hun is pro-
tected by a water line belt of armor
; feet in width, whose maximum
| thickness is II inches This armor
belt gives effective protection to the
| boilers, machinery and magazine
| spaces. The side above the main ar
| NOR belt is protected by armor feet
3 inches wide and of a maximum
| thickness of ten inches. Above the
main casemate armor amidships the
side is protected by armor of 5 inches
| in thickness, which affords protection
| TO the smoke pipes, the major portion
| of the secondary batteries of 5-inCh
guns. and the hull structure.
The plans for the Delaware were
prepared by the board of construc-
| tion i'm competition with plans sub
| mtted by various naval architectures
and shipbuilding companies and sub
mitted to a special board under the
presidency of the former assistant
| secretary of the navy, T. y. Newberry
and later approved by Congress. The
| contract for the Delaware was placed
August 6. 1907, at a price of S3,9S7.-
| 900 to be built in accordance with
| the departments design for both hui
| and reciprocating machinery. Her
| keel was laid November II, 1907. The
| Delaware is SO feet in length on
! load waterline 50 feet inches in
! breadth and herd mean draft TO bot
! tom Of keel at trial displacement
| bout % feet Her coal bunker cap
| acity is 2,50O tons which is sufficient
to send her at a knot speed a distance
of 6.72O knots or Is days steaming
! Provision is also made for the stow
age of a large amount of oil fuel with
out i'm any degree reducing the capa-
city Of the coal bunkers. She will
have triple expansion reciprocating
| engines and will require over 800
men to man her.
Fer armament will consist Of a
main battery of ten 12-inch breech
| loading rifles ana her secondary bat
terry will be fourteen 4-inch rapid
fire guns. four 3-pounder saluting
guns four l-pOunder semi-automatic
guns, two 3-inch fieldpieces and two
machine guns, of 80 calibre She has
two submerged torpedo tubes
The Delaware will have a displace-
ment on trial Of 10000 tons, or 21OO
tons greater than the British Dread
naught and $50 tons greater than
| Great Britain's latest vessel of that
a tyne the Vanguard