The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1909-02-11
SHIP DELLA WARE
GOES ~ VA TER
Surpasses All the Battleships
of the Navies of All
Foreign Countries.

Foreign Countries.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. Feb. g.
The great battleship Delaware was
successfully launched from the yards
of her builders. the Newport Ship
Building and Dry Dock Company to-
day. The launching was witnessed
by a large crowd of people.
Compared with the battleships
completed or under construction, of
the navy of any foreign country,
the Delaware surpasses all. She is
one of four battleshlbs authorized
by congress which will form an in
domitable 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. y. j.
The Delaware is to carry as heavy
armor and as powerful armament as
any known vessel in Its class; Will
have speed of 81 knots. which Is
believed to be the highest practica-
bic radius of action. The arrange
ment of her main battery guns is
snch as to permit a broad-side fire
% per cent. greater than that OF
the broad-side fire of any battl Zip
now built, OF. so far as Is known,
under construction. Her defer i've
qualities. other than those depend
ent upon armor protection, are such
rs to give the maximum degree CT
protection to all the vital portions
by means of unusually effective COM
partmental subdivision, so. that In
conjunction with her armor pro-
lection. the defensive qualities of
this vessel are believed to he dis
tinctly superior to those of any bat
.tleship hitherto designed. The hull
Is protected by water line ',elt of
armor s feet in width. whose maxi
mum thickness is IL inches. This
armor belt gives effective protect
ion to the boilers. machinery and
magazine spaces. The side above
the main armor belt is protected by
armor. a feet 3 inches wide and of a
maximum thickness of ten inches.
Above the main casemate armor
am!dships the side is protected by
armor of inches thickness. which
affords protection to the smoke
pipes. the major portion of the sec
ondary batteries of 5-inch guns. and
the hull structure.
The plans for the Delaware were
prepared by the Board of Construct
ion in competition with plans sub
mitted by various naval architects
and shipbuilding companies and sub.
mitted to a special board under the
presidency of the former Assistant
Secretary OF the Navy, T. II. New
berry, and later approved by con-
gress. The contract for the Della
ware was placed August 6, 1907, at
price Of $3,9Sf.oOO to be built il
accordance with the departments
designs for both hull and reciprocal
ting machinery. Her keel was laid
November II. 1907. The Delaware
is SO feet in length on load water
line. So feet inchesi hi breadth
and her mean draft to bottom of
keel at trial displacement about 81
feet. Her coal bunker capacity is
$500 tons which is sufficient to send
her at 10 knot speed distance of
$500 knots or IS days steaming.
Provision Is also made for the stow
age of large amount of oil fuel
without in any degree reducing the
capacity OF the coal bGlkers. She
Will have triple expansion recipro-
eating engines and will require
over 900 men to man her.
Her armament will consist OF al
main battery of ten 12-inch breech
loading rifles and her secondary bat
terry will he fourteen 5-inch rapid
fire guns. four s-pounder saluting
guns. four 1-pounder senm-automat-
&c guns of 80 calibre. She has sub
merged torpedo tubes.
The Delaware will have displace-
ment on trial of 10000 tons. or
2.10O tons greater than the British
Dreadnought and $50 tons greater
than Great Britain's latest vessel of
that type, the Vanguard.
DUFFY DENIES 1T.
Frank Duffy. secretary OF the