Farragut class destroyer (1934)
 USS Farragut (DD-348) |
|
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Farragut class destroyer |
| Builders: | Fore River Shipyard Bath Iron Works Brooklyn Navy Yard Boston Navy Yard Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Philadelphia Naval Shipyard |
| Operators: |  United States |
| Preceded by: | Clemson-class destroyer |
| Succeeded by: | Porter-class destroyer |
| Built: | 1932 – 1935 |
| In commission: | 1934 – 1945 |
| Completed: | 8 |
| Lost: | 3 |
| Retired: | 5 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Destroyer |
| Displacement: | 1,365 tons |
| Length: | 341 ft 3 in (104.01 m) |
| Beam: | 34 ft 3 in (10.44 m) |
| Draught: | 16 ft 2 in (4.93 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 boilers 2 Curtis turbines 42,800 hp (31,900 kW) |
| Speed: | 37 knots (69 km/h) |
| Complement: | 160 officers and enlisted |
| Armament: |
As Built:
circa 1943:
|
The Farragut-class destroyers were a class of eight 1,365-ton destroyers in the United States Navy.
Following provisions of the London Naval Treaty of 1930, the ships were laid down between 1932 and completed by 1935. After more than 14 years since the last of the Clemson-class was commissioned, the Farraguts were commissioned in 1934 and 1935.
These ships were slightly larger than their predecessors, faster and had only two stacks, versus the earlier four. They were the first of six classes of 1500-ton destroyers built in the 1930s to modernize the United States Navy, and all saw extensive front-line service during World War II.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Design
The list of desired improvements from the earlier Wickes class destroyer and Clemson class destroyer were both long and comprehensive. Both classes had the pointed sterns that dug into the water greatly increasing turning diameter.[2][3] This was addressed with the flat stern design on the Farragut class. The previous classes were flush deck designs, while providing good hull strength proved to be wet in high seas.[4][5] This was addressed with the raised forecastle employed on the Farragut class. Cruising range on both the Wickes and Clemson classes had been a constant thorn in the side, the Clemson's wing tanks giving better range but at the cost of having high mounted fuel oil on both sides.[6] The Farragut class corrected this by having a design range of 5,800 nautical miles (10,700 km) as opposed to the Clemson's 4,900 nautical miles (9,100 km).[7][8] Steady improvements to both boilers and steam turbines allowed greater speed and a reduction from 4 to 2 smoke stacks.
The success of the efforts become clear with the testimony of Admiral Land, who was then the head of the Bureau of Construction and Repair to the General Board, comparing the Farragut class to the Wickes and Clemson classes. Those advantages were:
- The Farragut class was 3.3 knots faster
- The class had double the GM height (stability)
- They had 35% more armament; 5 × 5"/38 as opposed to the 4 × 4"/50
- All 8 torpedo tubes were on the preferred centerline position
- The guns were fed by power hoist from the magazines
- Sea-keeping was much improved over the flush deckers that preceded it.
- The radius of action increased by 450 nautical miles (830 km).
This had all been accomplished on a displacement rise of only 22%.[9]
[edit] Armament
- As Built: They were the first to get five of the then new Mark 12 5"(127mm)/38cal gun installed in five Mark 21 dual-purpose single mounts. [10] The forward two mounts (numbers 51 and 52) were partially enclosed. (see in picture) The midships mount (No 53) and the after two mounts (numbers 54 and 55) were open. Just aft of mount 53 were two trainable torpedo tube mounts with four 21" (533mm) tubes on each. On the 01 deck, aft of mount 52, there were two single .50 cal (12.7mm) machine gun (MG) mounts next to the port and starboard rails. Two more .50 cal MGs were on the main deck, midships.
- c 1943: Due to the need for greater anti-aircraft (AA) protection, the .50 cal MGs and Mount 53 were replaced by 20 mm and 40 mm AA weapons. The type and quantity varied from ship to ship depending on when and where they were refitted. Also depth charge roll-off stern racks were added.
[edit] Operations
All ships were present at the attack on Pearl Harbor. Worden ran aground in Alaskan waters in 1943. Hull and Monaghan were lost in a typhoon in 1944. The remaining five ships survived World War II to be broken up for scrap shortly after the end of the war.
[edit] Ships in class
- USS Farragut (DD-348)
- USS Dewey (DD-349)
- USS Hull (DD-350)
- USS Macdonough (DD-351)
- USS Worden (DD-352)
- USS Dale (DD-353)
- USS Monaghan (DD-354)
- USS Aylwin (DD-355)
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://www.destroyerhistory.org/goldplater/farragutclass.html
- ^ Friedman, p.46
- ^ http://www.destroyerhistory.org/flushdeck/wickesclass.html
- ^ Friedman, p.46
- ^ http://www.destroyerhistory.org/flushdeck/wickesclass.html
- ^ Friedman, p.44
- ^ http://www.destroyersonline.com/usndd/classfarr.html
- ^ Friedman, p.44
- ^ Friedman p.81
[edit] See also
Media related to Farragut class destroyers (1934) at Wikimedia Commons
U.S. destroyers: an illustrated design history By Norman Friedman
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
