The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-02-06
NEW CRAFT WILL
| n SURPASS ALL
rHE sArrLEsAlP DELAWARE Is
LAUNCHED AT NEWPORT
NEWS, VA.
WILL HAVE NEW FEATURES
Her Guns are to be Arranged SO az
TO Allow 5roadside Fire rs Per
Cent Greater than that Of
Any other Ship.

Newport News, Va, Feb. Com.
pared with the battleships completed
81. Under construction, of the navy of
any foreign country, the Delaware,
which was launched here to-day,
surpasses all She is one of four sis
ter ships authorized by congress
which will form an indomitable
squadron The other vessels are the
North Dakota, being built at Quincy
Mass; the Florida, which will be
bnMa at the New York navy yard, and
the Utah. to be built at Camden, ~ j.
The Delaware is to carry as heavy
armor and as powerful armament as
any known vessel of its class; will
have a speed of 2l knots. which is
believed to be the highest practicable
for 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
20 permit a broadside fire rs per cent
greater than that of the broadside
fire of any battleship now built, or,
80 far as is known, under construc.
tion. Her defensive qualities, other
than those dependent upon armor
protection are such as to give the
maximum degree Of protection to all
the vital portions by means Of un-
usually effective compartmental sub
division. SO that In conjunction with
her armor protection, the defensive
qualities OF this vessel are believed
TO be distinctly superior to those of
hot In,
The hull is protected by a water
line belt of armor eight feet in width,
whose maximum thickness is IL
inches. This armor belt gives effec.
tive protection TO the boilers, machin-
cry and magazine spaces. The side
above the main armor belt is pro
tected by armor seven feet three in
ches wide and of maximum thick
ness of ten inches Above the main
casemate armor amidships the side
Is protected by armor of Ave inches
thickness, which affords protection to
the smoke pipes, the major portion
ng the secondary batteries of five-irch
guns. and the hull structure.
The plans for the Delaware were
prepared by the board of construc-
tiOn in competition with plans sub
mitted by various naval architects
and shipbuilding companies and sub
niitted TO a special board and later
approved by congress.
The contract for the Delaware was
placed August 6, 1907, at price OF
S3,eS7, 900. The Delaware is $40 feet
in length on load water line, SO feet
two inches in breadth and her mean
draft to bottom of keel at trial dis
placement about 81 feet. Her coal
bunker capacity is $500 tons, which
Is sufficient to send her at a ten-knot
speed distance OF 6.720 knots, or %
days steaming Provision is also
made for the stowage OF a large
amount of oil fuel without in any de-
gree reducing the capacity Of the coal
bunkers. She will have triple expan-
sion reciprocating engines and will
. require over 800 men TO man her.
Her armament will consist of
main battery of ten 12-inch breech
loading rifles, and her secondary bat
tery will be IA five-luch rapid FIRE
guns. four three-pounder saluting
guns, -FOUR one'pounder semiautoma-
tic guns, two three-inch field pieces
and two machine guns, of 80 caliber
The Delaware will have displace-
Ioent on trial of 10000 tons. or 2,lOO
tons greater than the British Dread
naVRht and $50 tons greater than
Great Britains latest vessel of that
type, the Vanguard.