Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-07
U.S.S. DELAWARE
SAFELY FL0ATED
WORLDS MOST FORMIDABLE
WARSHIP LAUNCHED
Thousands Attend Christening of
$685., 900 Naval Monster at New
port News, Va.-Is Magnifi=
cent Vessel
IRy Associated Press.l

NEWPORT NEWS, Va, Feb. 6.-The
great battleship Delaware was success
fully LAUGHED from the yards of her
builders, the Newport News ShipbuiId-
ing and Drydock company, today. The
launching was witnessed by 5000 people.
-mong those present were Assistant
Secretary of the Navy Saterlee and
Governor Penneweu of Delaware and
his staff.
The battleship was christened with
champagne by Miss Anne PenneweIl
Cahall of Bridgewell, Del, niece of the
governor, who had as her assistants
Miss Florence Hazel of Dover and Miss
Ellen Coleman Dupont of Wilmington.
The launching was followed by an elab-
crate banquet.
Surpasses All Vessels
Compared with the battleships, com
leted or under construction, of the
navy of any foreign power, the Della
ware surpasSes all
She is one of four sister ships au-
thorized 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 built at the New York
navy yard. and the Utah, to be built
at Camden, n. j.
The Delaware is to carry a heavy
armor and as powerful armament as
any known vessel of its class; will have
a speed of 21 knots and will have. the
highest practicable range of action
The arrangement of her main battery
guns will permit a broadside 25 per
ORC foV.k k1,e1r,
other battleship now built, or, so far
as is known, under construction.
Defensive Qualities
Her defensive qualities, other than
those dependent upon armor protec-
ton, are such as to give the maximum
degree Of protection to all the vital
portions by means of unusually effec-
tive compartmental subdivisions, so
that, in conjunction with her armor
protection, the defensive qualities of
this vessel are believed to be distinctly
superior to those of any other battle
ship hitherto designed.
The hull is protected by a water-Iine
belt Of armor eight feet in width,
whose maximum thickness is eleven
inches. This armor belt gives effective
protection to the boilers, machinery
and magazine spaces. The side above
the main armor belt is protected by
armor seven feet three inches wide,
and of a maximum thickness of ten
inches.
Above the main casemate armor amid
ships the side is protected by arrnor
of five inches thickness. which affords
protection to the smoke pipes, the ma
jor portion of the secondary battery of
fve-inch guns and the hull structure.
Vessel Cost $3,es7ooo
The contract for the Delaware was
placed August s, 1907, at a price of $9,-
$4,000. Her keel was laid November II,
1907.
The Delaware is $40 feet in length on
load water line, S5 feet 2 inches in
breadth, and her mean draft to bottom
of keel at trial displacement about 27
feet Her coal bunker capacity is $500
tons, which is sufficient to send her at
a 10-knot speed distance Of 672O knots
or IS days steaming. Provision is
also made for the storage of a large
amount of fuel oil without in any de-
gree reducing the capacity of her coal
bunkers.
She will have triple expansion recip-
rocating engines, and will require over
900 men to man her.
Her armament will consist of a main
battery of ten 12-inch breech loading
rifles and her secondary battery will be
fourteen 5-inch rapid fire guns, four g.
FOUNDER saluting guns, four 1-pounder
semi-automatic guns, two 3-inch field
pieces, and two machine guns of 80
calibre. She has two submerged tor
pedo tubes.
The Delaware will have a displace-
ment on trial Of 10000 tons. or 21OO tons
greater than the British Dreadnaught,
and $50 tons greater than Great Brit
aims latest vessel of that type, the
Vanguard.