of the bow wave imparting extra drag on the design. Anti-aircraft guns As with the South Carolina class, these ships were fitted with two 3-inch/50 caliber anti-aircraft (AA) guns in Mark 11 mounts in 1917. The Mark 11 mount was the first 3-inch AA mounting issued by the US Navy. They had a trunnion height of compared to a height of for the pedestal mountings used against surface craft. This allowed them an elevation range between −10 and 85 degrees. Maximum range was at 43 degrees and maximum ceiling at 85 degrees. Torpedo tubes The Delawares carried two torpedo tubes below the waterline. The Bliss-Leavitt 21-inch Mark 3 Model 1 torpedo designed for these tubes had an overall length of , a weight of and propelled an explosive charge of of TNT to a range of at a speed of Armor The armored belt ranged in thickness from in the more important areas of the ship. Casemated guns mounted in the hull had between of armor plate. The barbettes that housed the main gun turrets were armored with between of armor; the side portions more vulnerable to shell fire were thicker, while the front and rear sections of the barbette, which were less likely to be hit, received thinner armor to save weight. The gun turrets themselves were armored with of armor. The conning tower was thick. As in the designs of all early dreadnoughts, the deck armor was very thin at in most areas and over machinery and magazine spaces. These ships were expected to do most of their firing at ranges less than . At such distances, deck strikes would be a rare event. Service history USS Delaware During trials, Delaware was run at full speed for 24 hours straight to prove that her machinery could handle the stress. She was the first American battleship to achieve the feat. Late in 1910, Delaware sailed to Europe, followed by a trip to South America early in 1911. She made a further two voyages to Europe in 1912 and 1913, before returning to the US Atlantic Fleet for training exercises that were conducted in the western Atlantic and Caribbean. Delaware took part in the Second battle of Vera Cruz in April–May 1914. When the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, Delaware was initially tasked with readiness training off the East Coast. Late in the year, she was