Topics in Chronicling America - Battleships and the Pre-WW I Naval Arms Race

Trying to keep afloat in a world-wide naval arms race, the U.S. launches the great USS Michigan on May 26, 1908 swiftly followed by the USS South Carolina in July of that same year. England sparked the race in 1906 when it introduced the “world’s most powerful battleship,” prompting Germany, Japan, the U.S., and a number of other countries to build increasingly larger and more powerfully armed ships. Read more about it!

The information and sample article links below provide access to a sampling of articles from historic newspapers that can be found in the Chronicling America: American Historic Newspapers digital collection (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/). Use the Suggested Search Terms and Dates to explore this topic further in Chronicling America.

Jump to: Sample Articles

Important Dates:

• February 10 1906. Battleship HMS Dreadnought is launched.
• November 15 1906. Japan launches the Satsuma.
• July 22 1907. Germany launches SMS Nassau.
• May 26 1908. United States launches the USS Michigan.
• August 20 1910. Italy launches the Dante Alighieri.
• July 24 1910. Austria-Hungary starts building the Viribus Unitis.

Suggested Search Terms:

• [Try the following terms in combination, proximity, or as phrases using Search Pages in Chronicling America.] Battleship, Dreadnought, Admiral Dewy, Nassau, Battleship Connecticut, Battleship Michigan, Battleship South Carolina.

Sample Articles from Chronicling America:

• "The World's Most Powerful Battleship Launched," The Pensacola Journal, 11 February 1906, Page 1, Image 1, col. 1.
• "England's Monster Battle-Ship Compared With Our Giant Connecticut," The Evening World, 22 February 1906, Final Results Edition, Page 3, Image 3, col. 2.
• "Admiral Dewey Pleads For Giant Battleship," The Pensacola Journal, 21 March 1906, Page 1, Image 1, col. 3.
• "The World's most Powerful Battleship," The San Francisco Call, 8 April 1906, Page 5, Image 5, col. 1.
• "Think America Got Dreadnought Plans," The Washington Times, 2 May 1906, Last Edition, Page 9, Image 9, col. 3.
• "Germany's Battleships," New-York Tribune, 13 August 1906, Page 4, Image 4, col. 2.
• "Keeping Our Navy Up to Date," Deseret Evening News, 15 September 1906, Last Edition, Part Two, Page 32, Image 32come col. 1.
• "Limiting Naval Expantion," The Washington Times, 21 October 1906, Page 6, Image 7come col. 2.
• "Japan's Big Ship Afloat," New-York Tribune, 16 November 1906, Page 3, Image 3, col. 2.
• "Germany's New Naval Monster," The Salt Lake Herald, 8 March 1908, News Section, Page 2, Image 2, col. 1.
• "Our New Battleship," New-York Tribune, 12 July 1908, Page 3, Image 3 col. 4.
• "Germany's Navy Scares Britain," New-York Tribune, 17 March 1909, Page 1, Image 1 col. 3.
• "Half Billion In Ships," New-York Tribune, 24 April 1910, Page 4, Image 20 col. 1.