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| Act of 29 June 1906: |
"._._. The President is hereby authorized to have constructed by contract or in navy-yards ._._. |
"One first-class battle ship, carrying as heavy armor and as powerful armament as any known vessel of its class, to have the highest practicable speed and greatest practicable radius of action, and to cost, exclusive of armament and armor, not exceeding six million dollars: Provided, That before approving any plans or specifications for the construction of such battle ship the Secretary of the Navy shall afford, by advertisement or other wise, in his discretion, a reasonable opportunity to any competent constructor ._._. to submit plans and specifications for his consideration, ._._. Provided, That before any proposals for said battle ship shall be issued or any bids received and accepted the Secretary of the Navy shall report to Congress ._._. full details covering the type of such battle ship and the specifications for the same, ._._. |
. . . . . . . |
"._._. Provided, ._._. said vessels ._._. in all their parts shall be of domestic manufacture; and the steel material shall be of domestic manufacture, ._._. Not more than one of the vessels provided for in this act shall be built by one contracting party: ._._." |
| North Dakota (BB-29) was laid down 16 December 1907 by Fore River Shipbuilding Co., Quincey, Massachusetts; launched 10 November 1908; sponsored by Miss Mary Benton; and commissioned at Boston 11 April 1910, Comdr. Charles P. Plunkett in command. |
| In her first years North Dakota operated with the Atlantic Fleet in maneuvers along the East Coast and in the Caribbean. She sailed 2 November 1910 for her first Atlantic crossing, visiting England and France prior to winter-spring maneuvers in the Caribbean. In the summers of 1912 and 1913 she carried Naval Academy midshipmen for training in New England waters, and on 1 January 1913 she joined the honor escort for Natal as the Brazilian ship entered New York harbor with the body of the late Whitelaw Reid, United States Ambassador to Brazil. |
| As Mexican political disturbances strained relations with the United States, North Dakota sailed to Vera Cruz, where she arrived 26 April 1914, five days after American sailors had occupied the city. She cruised the coast of Mexico to protect Americans and their interests until a more stable government took office, and returned to Norfolk 16 October. An even more intensive program of training was taken up by the Atlantic Fleet as war threatened, and North Dakota was in Chesapeake Bay for gunner drills when the United States entered World War I. |
| Throughout the war, North Dakota operated in the York River, Virginia, and out of New York training gunners and engineers for the expanding fleet. Then, on 13 November 1919, she stood out of Norfolk to carry home the remains of the late Italian Ambassador to the United States. While in the Mediterranean, she called at Athens, Constantinople, Valencia, and Gibraltar before returning to the Caribbean for the annual spring maneuvers. In the summer of 1921, she took part in the Army-Navy bombing tests off the Virginia Capes in which the German warships Frankfurt and the United States war prize Ostfriesland were sunk to demonstrate the potentialities of airpower. She interrupted fleet operations during the next to summers to again cruise with midshipmen, contributing to the future strength of the Navy by educating its officers-to-be. The cruise of 1923 took her to Scandinavia, Scotland, and Spain. |
| North Dakota decommissioned at Norfolk 22 November 1923. Her Curtis Cruising Turbine was transferred to the USS Nevada (BB-36) circa 1924 and later her name was struck form the Navy List on 7 January 1931; she was sold for scrapping 16 March 1931. |
| USS North Dakota, Battleship (BB-29) Specifications | |||
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1910
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Armament:
1917:
1921:
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Larry W. Jewell, Who's Who of United States Battleships, (Internet publication), edition: 30 August, 1993. | ||
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James L. Mooney, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1964), Vol.1 -- A-B, p. 194 | ||
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James L. Mooney, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1970), Vol.5: N-Q, p. 110 | ||
