The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-02-07


Rear Admiral Taussig and other naval
officers. There also were present several
hundred prominent people from Delaware,
including the Delaware Representative
IN Congress. The battle ship was chris
tened with champagne by Miss Anne Pen
newell Cahall. Of BridgeweI. Del, niece
Of the governor. vnO had as her assist
ants Miss Florence Hazel OF Dover. and
Mss Ellen Coleman Du Pont. Of Whining
ton.
The ship Chrisfened.
Ready 10 christen the ship. Miss Cahali
stood trembling with excitement on the
launching stand. the christening bottle
poised for the first move o. the ship. Sud
denly there was rending sound and,
snap, the weakened beam gave way, ard,
as the Delaware moved down the ways.
Mss CahaH hurled the bottle Of sparkling
wine al the prov and exclaimed in q clear
voice. 1T ehristen thee Delaware
Drowning the sponsors words. the
cheers Of the crowd arose. while from
every whistle in the ship yards and the
every whistle in the shi7yards and the
rent the heavens. The bands struck 10
the national air. and for several minutes
the excitement was intense and every
body was happy. for the launching was
4 great success, and went OF without .
hitch.
The launching was followed by an elab-
crate banquet The weather was ideal
Surpaxses All Fighters.
Compared with the battle ships com
pieted or under construction OF the navy
Of any foreign country, the Delaware.
launched to-day. surpasses all She Is
one Of four sister ships authorized BY
Congress which win form an indomita-
be squadron. The other vessels are the
North Dakota, being built at Quincy,
Mass: the Florida, which viii be built
a. the New York Navy Yard. and the
Utah, to be built at Camden, y. J.
The Delaware is 10 carry as hesvy
amor and as powerful armament as any
known vessel OF its class, viii have a
speed Of twenty-one knots. which IS be-
leved 10 be the highest practicable for a
vessel Of this type and class, and VII
have the highest practicable radius Of &C
ton The arrangement OF her uasin-bat-
tery guns IS such as 70 permit broad
side fire . per cent greater than that Of
the broadside Ere OF any battle ship now
built, OF, so far IS IS known, under con-
struction.
Defensive Qualities Great.
Her defensive qualities. other than those
dependent upon armor protection. are
such as TO give the maximum degree
OF protection 10 al the vital portions BY
means Of unusually effective compart-
mental subdivision, so that In conjunction
with her armor protection the defensive
qualities OF this vessel are believed 10
be distinctly superior TO those Of any
battle snip hitherto designed.
The hull is protected By a water-Iine
belt Of aTmOT. feet in width. whose
maximum thickness is II inches. This
srmor belt gives effective protection 10
the boilers, machinery, and magazine
spaces. The side above the main armor
belt IS protected by arnor feet 3
inches wide and OF & maximum thickness
Of 10 inches Above the main caseuate
srmor amidships the side is protected by
armoT Of 7ve-inch thickness. which at
foTds protection TO the smokeDipes. the
major portion Of the secondary batteries
Of 5-iGeh guns and the hull structure.
Costs Nearly Four Million.
The contract for the Delaware was
placed on August 6. 1856. at a price OF
ss9s7.0o0. to be built IN accordance with
the departments design for both hun
and reciprocating machinery. Her keel
was laid on November Il. 1877.
The Delaware is so feet in length on
load water line. s. feet ? inches in
breadth, and her mean draft 10 bottom Of
keel at trial displacement about twenty
seven feet she VIII have triple expan-
sion recipr0cating engines and win 70
Quire over 900 men 10 man her.
Her armament viii consist Of = main
battery OF ten Pinch breech-losdin9 rifas
and her secondary battery viii be four
teen s-inch rapid-f7re guns. four 9-pound-
o. ssluting guns, four I-pounder semi
automatic guns. two 2-inch field pie~es
and two machine guns OF 80 caifbe-. She
has two submerged torpedo tubes.
The Delaware viii have a Displacement
On trial Of 20oo0 tons. or 200 tons create.
than the British Dreadnought. and 20 IONS
grester than Great Britain's latest vessel
Of that type-the Vanguard