The keel of an American battleship to be named after the state of North Dakota was laid on this date in 1907. The ship was the largest ever launched in American waters at the time, measuring 510 feet in length and having a displacement of 20,000 tons. The ship was christened the U.S.S. North Dakota at her launching on November 10th the following year. Her sister ship, the U.S.S. Delaware, was being built at the same time, but was not launched until the following spring. This made the North