Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-06-27

MAMMOTH DELAWARE
larger THAN EXPECTED
fgi Load Displacement VIII be
IwsnlyihFes Thousand
Tons.
HEAVIEST BATIlEsHlP FlOAI
sea, Yard to Deliver Msn-of-Wsr TO
Navy In January, Thus Setting New
RECORD In wsrshlp Construction tn
United states-Even With Fore
River Yard Now.

Although she has been referred "
al along as n 20 1000 tons hattlesnip
and Is so listed in the records on .ae
Tinted States navy. the giant pa''ic
shin Delaware. under construction az
tho local shipyard. viii have as
<;1nce.nent of about 23.00o-tons Wneh
sha goes into commission. This ans
rlsrement is considerably greater
shar thaf Of any batfleship now sfiost
The contract for the pelesare cs''s
FOR displacement on trial OF no.
less fhaa 10000 tons, nut al tnas
time the vessel viii not have any W
ne stores. supplies. or ammunition on
board When the finishing touches
are uet On after the trsai and the
sterss etc are aboard. her disr'ac--
uepnf wsil he increased by about 3
600 tons. The basfleship louisiana,
urs,is,cf az the local shipysrd- mas
rhe rresfeSt fun load displacement OF
anv hztt,eship now in commission IN
the rnife~d states navy. her 6isPlace-
frerf seiax about 1900 ions.
New BsftlesAip Bsiidine Record
"a the construction q the Delaware.
the local yard viii establish . new
record fer haftieship building on the
Hexsera hemisphere. The vessel Is
now about IS percent completed ana
shc vii be delivered to the United
states government about January l..
1914 II is proposed to send her on
trial sometime in October and that
win leave more than two months IN
which to put on the finishing touches
and extras necessary before sne
car be delivered.
The contract for the construction
Of the battleship was signed en- Au-
gust 6, 1907 and she is for delivery
on August 6, 1910. The keel for the
5hfp was laid on November 16, 1907.
70 that the actual time OF construc-
Ion will be about % months. Up to
the present time no shipyard In the
Emitted States has ever been able 70
eomplete battieship In hess than 80
slh6nths and In most cases 1t has taken
81 or IS months TO turn the vessels
oslt-
Local Yard viii Win Race.
Although the report on the degree
OF completion of the ship showed that
the North Dakota. the sistership OF
the peieware, which is building a.
Quincy, Mass. is about percent
ahesd of the Delaware. the ships are
shout equal so far rs actual con-
struc*icn work Is concerned. the lead
OF the North Dakota representing
material on hand at Fore River yard
fer the North Dakota, which has not
yet beet received at the local yard
Ger the Delaware The local yard has
been gaining steadily on the Fore
River yard during the past six months
and there Is no doubt now that the
Newport News yard will be the win
ner IN this, the greatest battieship
ba;sding race ever run In the United
States.
The Engines Installed.
One of the big propelling engines
81 the Delaware has been installed
and the work OF placing tie other
In the vessel Is now in progress. As
Eoca as this is completed. the vessel
win be dccked TO have her propclIers
pat on and then the four days dock
trial vii; be held. The Eve big tur-
rets. containing ten i2-;nch rifles have
been In place sometime. The deck.
ings are now being laid and already
the boat davits and searchiighI
stands are In place.
Much interest viii attach to the
relative performances OF the Deteware
and North Dakota on trial because the
Former Is equipped with Incorporating
engines and the latter with turbine
engines CT the Curtis typ-. The con
tract speed Of each ship Is n Knott
An hour.