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USS Delaware (BB-28)
Encyclopedia
USS Delaware (BB-28) of the United States Navy
was a battleship
launched in 1909 and scrapped in 1924, the lead ship
of the Delaware class
. She was part of the U.S. battleship squadron attached to the British Grand Fleet during World War I, United States Battleship Division Nine
, and was the sixth ship to carry her name.
Delaware was launched on 6 February 1909 by Newport News Shipbuilding Company, Newport News, Virginia
; sponsored by Mrs. Anna P. Cahall, the niece of Simeon S. Pennewill
, Governor of Delaware and commissioned on 4 April 1910, Captain
C. A. Gove in command.
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from 3–9 October 1910 to receive a gift of a silver service from the state, Delaware sailed from Hampton Roads
on 1 November with the First Division, Atlantic Fleet
, to visit Weymouth, England, and Cherbourg, France
, and after battle practice at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba
, returned to Norfolk, Virginia
on 18 January 1911, after suffering a boiler explosion in fireroom 4 at 0920 hrs. on 17 January, killing eight and seriously scalding one crew. She departed on 31 January to carry the remains of Chile
an Minister Cruz to Valparaíso
, sailing by way of Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil, and Punta Arenas, Chile. Returning to New York City on 5 May, she sailed on 4 June for Portsmouth
, England, where from 19–28 June she took part in the fleet review
accompanying the coronation
of King George V
.
_under_way_1914.jpg)
In her operations with the Fleet from 1912–1917, Delaware joined in exercises, drills, and torpedo practice at Rockport
and Provincetown, Massachusetts
; engaged in special experimental firing and target practice at Lynnhaven Roads; trained in Cuban waters participating in fleet exercises; and provided summer training for midshipmen
. She passed before President William Howard Taft
and the Secretary of the Navy in the Naval Review
of 14 October 1912 and the next year visited Villefranche
, France while on a cruise with and . In 1914 and again in 1916, she cruised off Veracruz
to protect American lives and property during the political disturbances in Mexico
.
(BatDiv 9), bound for Scapa Flow
, Scotland. After battling bad weather in the North Atlantic, she joined the 6th Battle Squadron
of the British Grand Fleet
on 14 December for exercises to coordinate the operations of the Allied force.
The 6th Battle Squadron got underway on 6 February 1918 with an escort of eight British destroyer
s to convoy
a large group of merchant ships to Norway. Cruising off Stavanger
two days later, Delaware was attacked twice by a submarine
, but each time skillful handling enabled the battleship to evade the torpedo
es. The squadron returned to its home base at Scapa Flow on 10 February. Delaware participated in two more convoy voyages in March and April, then sailed with the Grand Fleet on 24 April to reinforce the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron which was on convoy duty and expected contact with the enemy. Only the vessels of the advance screen made any contact, and the chance for action faded.
From 30 June–2 July, the 6th Battle Squadron, with a division of British destroyers as escort, went to sea to screen American ships laying the North Sea mine barrage. On 22 July, George V inspected the ships of the Grand Fleet at Rosyth
, Scotland, and eight days later, after being relieved by , Delaware sailed for Hampton Roads, arriving on 12 August.
until 12 November 1918, then sailed to Boston Navy Yard
for an overhaul. On 11 March 1919, she joined the Fleet in Cuban waters for exercises. Returning to New York on 14 April she continued to operate in division, squadron and fleet maneuvers, and participated in the Naval Review
at Hampton Roads on 28 April 1921. She made two midshipmen practice cruises, one to Colón, Panama
, Martinique
, and other ports in the Caribbean, and to Halifax
, Nova Scotia
from 5 June–31 August 1922; and a second to Europe, visiting Copenhagen
, Greenock
, Cádiz
, and Gibraltar
from 9 July–29 August 1923.
Delaware entered Norfolk Navy Yard on 30 August, and her crew was transferred to , a newly commissioned battleship assigned to replace Delaware in the Fleet. Moving to Boston Navy Yard in September, she was stripped of warlike equipment, she was decommissioned and stricken on 10 November 1923. Delaware was sold on 5 February 1924 to the Boston Iron & Metal Co of Baltimore, Maryland and scrapped in accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty
on the limitation of armaments.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
was a battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
launched in 1909 and scrapped in 1924, the lead ship
Lead ship
The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of the Delaware class
Delaware class battleship
The Delaware-class battleships of the United States Navy were the second class of American dreadnoughts. They carried a battery of ten 12"/45 caliber Mark 5 guns in five turrets, an increase of two guns over the preceding . They were also larger, displacing 25% more than the South Carolinas...
. She was part of the U.S. battleship squadron attached to the British Grand Fleet during World War I, United States Battleship Division Nine
United States Battleship Division Nine (World War I)
United States Battleship Division Nine was a division of four, later five, dreadnought battleships of the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet that constituted the American contribution to the British Grand Fleet during World War I. Although the U.S. entered the war on 6 April 1917, hesitation among...
, and was the sixth ship to carry her name.
Delaware was launched on 6 February 1909 by Newport News Shipbuilding Company, Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
; sponsored by Mrs. Anna P. Cahall, the niece of Simeon S. Pennewill
Simeon S. Pennewill
Simeon Selby Pennewill was an American farmer and politician from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware....
, Governor of Delaware and commissioned on 4 April 1910, Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
C. A. Gove in command.
Pre-World War I
After visiting Wilmington, DelawareWilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
from 3–9 October 1910 to receive a gift of a silver service from the state, Delaware sailed from Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
on 1 November with the First Division, Atlantic Fleet
United States Fleet Forces Command
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
, to visit Weymouth, England, and Cherbourg, France
Cherbourg-Octeville
-Main sights:* La Glacerie has a race track.* The Cité de la Mer is a large museum devoted to scientific and historical aspects of maritime subjects.* Cherbourg Basilica* Jardin botanique de la Roche Fauconnière, a private botanical garden.* Le Trident theatre...
, and after battle practice at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, returned to Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
on 18 January 1911, after suffering a boiler explosion in fireroom 4 at 0920 hrs. on 17 January, killing eight and seriously scalding one crew. She departed on 31 January to carry the remains of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an Minister Cruz to Valparaíso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
, sailing by way of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil, and Punta Arenas, Chile. Returning to New York City on 5 May, she sailed on 4 June for Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, England, where from 19–28 June she took part in the fleet review
Fleet Review, Royal Navy
A fleet review is a traditional gathering of ships from a particular navy to be observed by the reigning monarch or his or her viceroy, a practice allegedly dating back to the 15th century. Such an event is not held at regular intervals and originally only occurred when the fleet was mobilised for...
accompanying the coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
.
Rockport, Massachusetts
Rockport is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,952 at the 2010 census. Rockport is located approximately 25 miles northeast of Boston at the tip of the Cape Ann peninsula...
and Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
; engaged in special experimental firing and target practice at Lynnhaven Roads; trained in Cuban waters participating in fleet exercises; and provided summer training for midshipmen
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
. She passed before President William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
and the Secretary of the Navy in the Naval Review
Naval Review
A Naval Review is an event, where the whole of the US Navy is paraded to be reviewed by the president or the Secretary of the Navy. It often includes delegates from other national navies. It is more regular and frequent than its British equivalent, the Fleet Review, and often occurs on a Navy...
of 14 October 1912 and the next year visited Villefranche
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera.-Geography:...
, France while on a cruise with and . In 1914 and again in 1916, she cruised off Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
to protect American lives and property during the political disturbances in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
World War I
When the US entered World War I, Delaware returned to Hampton Roads from winter maneuvers in the Caribbean to train armed guard crews and engineers, as well as join in exercises to ready the Fleet for war. On 25 November 1917, she sailed from Lynnhaven Roads with Battleship Division 9United States Battleship Division Nine (World War I)
United States Battleship Division Nine was a division of four, later five, dreadnought battleships of the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet that constituted the American contribution to the British Grand Fleet during World War I. Although the U.S. entered the war on 6 April 1917, hesitation among...
(BatDiv 9), bound for Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
, Scotland. After battling bad weather in the North Atlantic, she joined the 6th Battle Squadron
6th Battle Squadron (United Kingdom)
The British 6th Battle Squadron was a Royal Navy squadron consisting of Battleships serving in the Grand Fleet.-August 1914:In August 1914, the 6th Battle Squadron was based at Portland and comprised a number of the older pre-dreadnought battleships. These included: and transferred to the 5th...
of the British Grand Fleet
British Grand Fleet
The Grand Fleet was the main fleet of the British Royal Navy during the First World War.-History:It was formed in 1914 by the British Atlantic Fleet combined with the Home Fleet and it included 35-40 state-of-the-art capital ships. It was initially commanded by Admiral Sir John Jellicoe...
on 14 December for exercises to coordinate the operations of the Allied force.
The 6th Battle Squadron got underway on 6 February 1918 with an escort of eight British destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s to convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
a large group of merchant ships to Norway. Cruising off Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
two days later, Delaware was attacked twice by a submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, but each time skillful handling enabled the battleship to evade the torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es. The squadron returned to its home base at Scapa Flow on 10 February. Delaware participated in two more convoy voyages in March and April, then sailed with the Grand Fleet on 24 April to reinforce the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron which was on convoy duty and expected contact with the enemy. Only the vessels of the advance screen made any contact, and the chance for action faded.
From 30 June–2 July, the 6th Battle Squadron, with a division of British destroyers as escort, went to sea to screen American ships laying the North Sea mine barrage. On 22 July, George V inspected the ships of the Grand Fleet at Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
, Scotland, and eight days later, after being relieved by , Delaware sailed for Hampton Roads, arriving on 12 August.
Inter-war period
Delaware remained at York RiverYork River (Virginia)
The York River is a navigable estuary, approximately long, in eastern Virginia in the United States. It ranges in width from at its head to near its mouth on the west side of Chesapeake Bay. Its watershed drains an area including portions of 17 counties of the coastal plain of Virginia north...
until 12 November 1918, then sailed to Boston Navy Yard
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
for an overhaul. On 11 March 1919, she joined the Fleet in Cuban waters for exercises. Returning to New York on 14 April she continued to operate in division, squadron and fleet maneuvers, and participated in the Naval Review
Naval Review
A Naval Review is an event, where the whole of the US Navy is paraded to be reviewed by the president or the Secretary of the Navy. It often includes delegates from other national navies. It is more regular and frequent than its British equivalent, the Fleet Review, and often occurs on a Navy...
at Hampton Roads on 28 April 1921. She made two midshipmen practice cruises, one to Colón, Panama
Colón, Panama
Colón is a sea port on the Caribbean Sea coast of Panama. The city lies near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's second city....
, Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
, and other ports in the Caribbean, and to Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
from 5 June–31 August 1922; and a second to Europe, visiting Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, and Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
from 9 July–29 August 1923.
Delaware entered Norfolk Navy Yard on 30 August, and her crew was transferred to , a newly commissioned battleship assigned to replace Delaware in the Fleet. Moving to Boston Navy Yard in September, she was stripped of warlike equipment, she was decommissioned and stricken on 10 November 1923. Delaware was sold on 5 February 1924 to the Boston Iron & Metal Co of Baltimore, Maryland and scrapped in accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
on the limitation of armaments.