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; the USS Delaware and the USS New York.

They were significantly more powerful than their predecessors, the Congress not having limited their size when authorizing construction, with 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.

With the moratorium for the building of capital ships in place, both ships received upgrades during the years preceding the Global War. Both ships were sunk during the War.

USS Delaware

USS North Dakota

Displacement: 20,380 tons Length: 518.9 feet Beam: 85.3 feet Draft: 27.4 feet Speed: 21 knots Armament: ten 12-inch(5×2), 12 five-inch, two 21-inch torpedo tubes.