match the standard set by the British with Dreadnought. This was due in large part to the elimination of Congressional limits on the size of new battleships; the only restriction the Congress placed on their design was that the cost of hull and machinery could not exceed 6 million USD. The Delaware-class ships were also significantly larger than the South Carolinas. They were long at the waterline and long overall. By comparison, the South Carolina-class ships were long overall. The Delawares had a beam of and a draft of ; the South Carolinas measurements were and , respectively. The Delaware-class ships displaced at standard displacement and at full load, while the South Carolinas displaced at standard displacement and at full load. Their bows had an early example of bulbous forefeet. Propulsion For reasons including expected hostilities with Japan, requiring travel across the Pacific Ocean, long operational range was a recurrent theme in all US battleship designs. As an experiment, these ships received different powerplants. Delaware received triple-expansion reciprocating engines, while North Dakota was fitted with Curtiss direct drive steam turbine engines. Both ships had 14 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, both original power plants were rated at ; and both ships were capable of reaching 21 knots. Chief Constructor Washington L. Capps predicted North Dakota would have a 25 percent shorter radius than Delaware at 16 knots and 45 percent less at 14 knots, based on tank tests and the known performance of steam turbines at that time. This estimate was proved true during the ships' trial runs in 1909. Also, because Delawares engine bearings were equipped with forced lubrication instead of a gravity-fed system, she was able to steam at full speed for 24 hours without any need for engine repair. This would normally have been unthinkable as reciprocating engines were known generally to shake themselves apart if run at full power for long. However, this penchant for reliability came under question in the late 1930s as battleships with reciprocating engines performed poorly in the Pacific. By 1917, more powerful and efficient geared turbines had been installed in North Dakota to replace her Curtiss turbines. These provided horsepower, some greater than her original engines. Armament Main guns The Delaware-class ships were armed with ten 12-inch/45 caliber Mark 5 guns in five twin gun turrets; this was an addition of two guns compared to the preceding South Carolinas. The gun housings