East Dover Hundred in Kent County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

USS Delaware

(BB-28)

— The Dreadnought —

USS Delaware Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Adam Margolis, January 19, 2022

1. USS Delaware Marker

Inscription.
The first of the dreadnoughts of the United States Navy, the USS Delaware was laid down on November 11, 1907 at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, and was the first battleship to have forced lubrication system for engines.

Displacement - 22,000 tons full load
Length - 518 feet, 9 inches / Beam - 85 feet, 2.5 inches
Laid down - November 11, 1907
Launched - February 6, 1909
Commissioned - April 4, 1910
Decommissioned - November 10, 1923 Stripped of war capability & scrapped - February 5, 1924
Complement - 55 Officers / 872 Enlisted Men
Speed - 21 knots / 4-cylinder triple expansion reciprocating engines / 25,000 horsepower

Main Battery -Ten 12-inch Breech Loading Rifles / Fourteen 5-inch Rapid Fire Guns
Secondary Battery - Two 3-pound Semi-automatic Guns / Two 3-inch Field Guns/ Four 1-pound Semi-automatic Guns / Two 30-Caliber Machine Guns / Two 21-inch Torpedo Tubes Submerged

USS Delaware bell - 888 lbs.
Nameplate - 333 lbs.

[Caption:]
The USS Delaware bell and nameplate are on loan from The United States Naval History & Heritage Command. Photographs courtesy of The United States Naval History & Heritage Command.

Erected by Delaware

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Public Archives.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: War, World I • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is February 6, 1909.

Location. 39° 9.476′ N, 75° 31.211′ W. Marker is in Dover, Delaware, in Kent County. It is in East Dover Hundred. It is at the intersection of M.L.K. Jr Boulevard North and Legislative Avenue, on the right when traveling west on M.L.K. Jr Boulevard North. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 121 M.L.K Jr Blvd N, Dover DE 19901, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Mid-Atlantic

and on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Delaware Public Archives (a few steps from this marker); Legislative Hall: Delaware's Capitol Building (within shouting distance of this

Photographed by Adam Margolis, January 19, 2022

2. USS Delaware Marker

marker); The State of Delaware Historical Markers Program (within shouting distance of this marker); We hold in respectful memory… (within shouting distance of this marker); The Women of the Delaware Women's Military Service Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Delaware Women's Service Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); The First State Heritage Park of Dover (within shouting distance of this marker); Delaware Women's Suffrage Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dover.

USS Delaware Bell image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Adam Margolis, January 19, 2022

3. USS Delaware Bell

Located a few feet away from the marker, this bell is the one described in it.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 20, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. This page has been viewed 1,470 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 20, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.