Delaware class battleship

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Delaware-class battleship

Class Overview
Class type:	Battleship
Class name	The State of Delaware
Preceded by:	South Carolina class
Succeeded by:	Florida class
Ships of the line:	Delaware (BB-28), North Dakota (BB-29)
General Characteristics (USS Delaware)
Displacement:	Standard: 20,380 tons Mean War Service: 22,400 tons
Length:	518 ft 9 in
Beam:	85 ft 3 in
Draft:	27 ft 4 in
Speed:	21 knots
Complement:	933 officers and men
Max. cruising radius
Power:	25,000 ihp (18,650 kW)
Drive:
Fuel:	2300 tons coal
Armour	Belt: 11 in Bulkheads: 9 in Barbettes: 10 in Turrets: 12 in Decks: 1.5-2 in

The Delaware-class battleships of the United States Navy were its first true "Dreadnoughts", carrying a battery of ten 12-inch guns in five turrets, and capable of exceeding 20 knots. The two ships of the class were launched in 1908 and 1909:

1 Conception
2 The Design
3 Operations
4 Sources
5 Footnotes
6 External link

[edit] Conception

Prompted by the launch of the HMS Dreadnought, and a lack of correct information, The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Congress faced what they thought was a vastly better battleship than the two South Carolina Class battleships that had yet to complete construction. This was the last time the U.S. Congress would impose tonnage limits on a battleship outside of treaty limitations.^[1] In fact the South Carolinas were inferior only in speed.^[2] The language of the authorising act of June 26th, 1906 was for a battleship "carrying as heavy armor and as powerful armament as any known vessel of its class, to have the highest practicable speed and the greatest practicable radius of action."^[3]

[edit] The Design

The Delaware's were significantly more powerful than their predecessors, the Congress only limit on the battleships was in the fact that the hull and machinery could not exceed 6 Million USD.^[4] The Delaware Class had two more 12-inch guns, a secondary battery of 5-inch guns instead of 3-inch types, and 2.5 knots more speed. As an experiment, the ships had different powerplants, with the Delaware getting a triple-expansion reciprocating engine, while North Dakota was fitted with a Curtiss turbine engine, initially a direct drive design, later replaced with a geared turbine. The USS North Dakota (BB-29) proved to have a shorter range than the USS Delaware (BB-28). A recurrent theme throughout all U.S. Battleship Designs a large radius of action was called for. All U.S. Battleships were designed to travel across the Pacific Ocean and win.^[5] The Delaware Class had the full deck restored to the aft of the design and had a forecastle installed to reduce wetness. The hull of the Delaware Class was fuller to better support the weight of the extra turrets. Such was the pace of Battleship design that by 10 years after being built they were seen as obsolete. Experence with the class proved that the hull form was a very "wet" design shipping water in all but the calmest seas. Seen as the primary anti-destroyer armament the 5" 50 caliber naval cannon was selected as the secondary armament. The 5/50 being able to penetrate to most effect at 5,000 yards being the deciding factor in the decision.^[6] Fourteen 5/50 guns were mounted 2 forward on the main deck, 10 in sponsons on the side and 2 aft on the main deck abeam #5 turret, the forward guns being moved into the superstructure after the sea trails.^[7] The sponson mounted secondary armament was one deck below the main deck and provided the majority of the complaints shipping water from the forward positions and breaking the flow of the bow wave imparting extra drag on the design.^[8] As in the designs of all early dreadnoughts deck armor was very thin at 1.5 inches and 2 inches over machinery and magazine spaces. These ships were expected to do most of their firing at 10,000 yards and under. As such deck strikes would be a rare event..^[9]

[edit] Operations

The USS Delaware was run at 21 knots for 24 hours to prove that it could provide the speed and reliability required of it with a verticle triple expansion steam engine. In operational experence all VTE engines performed poorly in the Pacific.^[10] The ships were widely traveled in the Atlantic seaboard and became part of the Sixth Battleship Squadron of the British Grand Fleet in WWI.^[11] By 1919 both ships were under gunned in a world where most battleships use 13.5", 14", and 15" main batteries. Both ships of the class were kept close to US home waters and used as training vessels towards the end of their lives. USS Delaware was scrapped in 1924 and USS North Dakota in 1931. USS North Dakota's geared turbines were fitted into USS Nevada who's engines had worn out.^[12]

[edit] Sources

Source: U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History Norman Friedman IBSN 0-87021-715-1

[edit] Footnotes

^ U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History Norman Friedman P65 IBSN 0-87021-715-1
^ U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History Norman Friedman P64 IBSN 0-87021-715-1
^ U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History Norman Friedman P63 IBSN 0-87021-715-1
^ U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History Norman Friedman P63 IBSN 0-87021-715-1
^ U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History Norman Friedman P69 IBSN 0-87021-715-1
^ U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History Norman Friedman P65 IBSN 0-87021-715-1
^ U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History Norman Friedman P65 IBSN 0-87021-715-1
^ U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History Norman Friedman P65 IBSN 0-87021-715-1
^ U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History Norman Friedman P101 IBSN 0-87021-715-1
^ U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History Norman Friedman P69 IBSN 0-87021-715-1
^ http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/usnshtp/bb/bb28cl.htm
^ http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/usnshtp/bb/bb28cl.htm