Evening journal., 1911-05-31
DELAWARE
CORONATION
Fl Knot DreadnOuGht'S the
All Big Gun
LeViothan
PUTS ON ROYAL
LADDER FOR big GUNS"

The battleship Delaware, Uncle
Sans Dreadnought, which is to be the
biggest warship in the coronation
naval review at Spithead, is at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard with hundreds of
men hard at work getting her ready
for the big doings in England, says
the New York Evening Sun. She will
steam out of the harbor in about a
week, the trimmest, cleanest shiniest
big fighter that ever went down the
Narrows.
Some real hustling is being done to-
get the Delaware in shape to sail It
was not so long ago that she returned
from a voyage to Valparaiso, Chile,
where she conveyed the body of Senior
Cruz, late Minister from Chile to this
country. This was voyage altogether
of 1900 miles and at it's conclusion
she went into drydock at Boston. Since
her arrival at Brooklyn changes have
been necessary in the officers quarters
in order to make room for Rear-Ad-
miral Vreeland, who will be the rank
ing officer on the trip to England.
The Delaware is lying in the most
northerly channel at the navy yard,
channel which was deepeped recently
for this ship and the North Dakota,
which also happens to be at Brooklyn
now. All about the ship this morning
were working parties. Men in white
clothes, each party under the watch
full eyes of a boatswain, doing all sort
of things, but every man intent on one
thing-tO make the Delaware the FIN
eSt-lOOking Warship aflOat.
Painters hung on her sides in bos'n's
chairs, putting dabs of red paint on
scratchy spots; on the after deck civil
liam mechanics and sailors were put
ting in place new cradles for the four
steam launches to be carried; the rat
tie of cutting machines in the after
part told that iron workers we're re-
placing some light metal parts that
did not look exactly right when the
last eagle-eyed inspection was made
by Captain Cove and his officers: on
the hoisting crane, port side, a group
of men were at work installing new
motor; in the turrets between decks
men reached out to polish the 5-inch
guns, which had received a prepara-
tory coat of red paint
Below decks joiners and carpenters
have been working several days pre-
pairing the quarters to be occupied by
Admiral Vreeland. These. are the
quarters usually occupied by Captain
Cove, but which have been added to
for the occasion. The quarters of the
chief engineer officer and navigating
officer will be converted for the use
OF Captain Cove.
The Delaware has an oil system and
this morning a puffy little locomotive
a. Mill fac1 oil
alongside the big ship The barrels
were hoisted aboard in slings two at g
time until II came time to use the
steam winch for hosting aboard the
new motor for the crane. then those
poor sweating sailors had to roll th'
oil barrels up a gangplank. Very soor
another locomotive brought along an
other fiat car. this carrying a brand
new accommodation ladder of mahog
any and brass. This is a special lad
der for coronation use and will b'
lowered on the starboard side. The
mahogany Is ornately carved Yol
can't tell who will be coming aboarC
at coronation time.
Our English cousins may have beeI
mentally Jared when they heard al
announced in the House of Common
that the Delaware would be the big
gest ship in the coronation naval re
view. But there is hardly question
that they will be rejoiced to see so fin'
a fighting ship al the Delaware, whicl
combines with great fighting strength
the ability to steam at twenty-on
knots speed. She is one of a squadron
of four new Dreadnoughts, known a
"all big gun ships the others be!nl
the North Dakota, the Utah and tn
Florida, the last-named being almos
completed at the Brooklyn yard. TIL
term "all big gun ships" is used be
cause the main battery of these yes
sells is made up of ten 12-inch guns
all of which may be fired in broadsidt
The secondary battery consists of four
teen 5-inch guns.
"In order to make the corrynatio
a complete success we are a-going t
take over this ship, which is the fines
ship in the world" remarked an eld
erly bos'ns mate as he gazed over tn
busy decks. And that seemed to ind
cate the general feeling on board. Tn
nose of the North Dakota, lying nea
by, is very much out of joint, but sh
is not as good at big gun practice as
the Delaware.