The Delaware class mounted all five main turrets on the centreline. This avoided the compromises of wing turrets and put eight guns on a broadside. Removing the fifth turret would still leave a broadside equal to many contemporary British battleships. The released space might have carried more machinery and produced a faster eight-gun ship closer to a battlecruiser. Delaware used vertical triple-expansion engines while North Dakota had Curtis steam turbines, so the class already tested two machinery choices. A mixed plant like Olympic's or a four-shaft layout offered other possibilities. Cost and design limits kept the ships near 21 knots. The result was a strong hull that never received the extra speed explored by this counterfactual.
Notable Point · 8:14-10:52
Delaware's centerline battery and missed speed
USS Delaware shows the clean broadside offered by a centreline battery and the extra speed that might have been possible without the fifth turret.