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In the London Naval Treaty, destroyers were established as "surface vessels of war the [[Displacement (fluid)|Standard Displacement]] (S.D.) of which does not exceed 1,850 tons and with a gun not above 5.1-inch [[caliber]].", as published in ''Ship’s Data for U.S. Naval Vessels''.<ref name=historyintroduction /> The “total completed tonnage not to be exceeded on December 31, 1936” was 150,000 S.D., but “not more than 16 per cent of the allowed tonnage... shall be employed in vessels over 1,500 tons S.D.”.<ref name=historyintroduction /> The new, higher limits rendered the 225 four stackers obsolete, and the [[General Board of the United States Navy|General Board]] quickly moved to replace them.<ref name=historyintroduction /> Since Japan was considered a probable adversary, the General Board replaced the four stackers with ships that could carry large quantities of [[fuel]], [[ammunition]], and supplies, enabling the ships to make travel long distances from home base.<ref name=historyintroduction />
In the London Naval Treaty, destroyers were established as "surface vessels of war the [[Displacement (fluid)|Standard Displacement]] (S.D.) of which does not exceed 1,850 tons and with a gun not above 5.1-inch [[caliber]].", as published in ''Ship’s Data for U.S. Naval Vessels''.<ref name=historyintroduction /> The “total completed tonnage not to be exceeded on December 31, 1936” was 150,000 S.D., but “not more than 16 per cent of the allowed tonnage... shall be employed in vessels over 1,500 tons S.D.”.<ref name=historyintroduction /> The new, higher limits rendered the 225 four stackers obsolete, and the [[General Board of the United States Navy|General Board]] quickly moved to replace them.<ref name=historyintroduction /> Since Japan was considered a probable adversary, the General Board replaced the four stackers with ships that could carry large quantities of [[fuel]], [[ammunition]], and supplies, enabling the ships to make travel long distances from home base.<ref name=historyintroduction />

The U.S. Navy resumed destroyer construction in [[1932]] with the [[Farragut class destroyer|''Farragut'' class]]. For the next seven years, the United States Navy constructed "1500 tonners", or "goldplaters".<ref name="goldplater">{{cite web|url=http://www.destroyerhistory.org/goldplater/index.html|title=Goldplaters, 1500-ton destroyers, and 1850-ton destroyer leaders|work=destroyerhistory.org|publisher=Destroyer History Foundation|accessdate=2009-06-01}}</ref> The goldplaters earned this name because of the "over&ndash;lavish facilities", drawing criticism from older destroyermen, who gave the destroyers the name.<ref name=goldplater />
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
!width=130|Class name !! Number of ships !! First ship laid down || Last ship commissioned !!class="unsortable"|References
!width=130|Class name !! Number of ships !! First ship laid down || Last ship commissioned !!class="unsortable"|References

Revision as of 14:19, 1 June 2009

This is a list of destroyer classes of the United States Navy.

Pre-World War I

The first destroyer of the United States Navy, the USS Bainbridge, around 1915-1916.

In 1864, US Navy Lt. William B. Cushing sank the ironclad CSS Albemarle using a "spar torpedo"—an explosive device mounted on a long pole and detonanted underwater.[1] Two years later in Austria, the British engineer Robert Whitehead developed a compressed air "automotive" torpedo; capable of 6–8 knots (3.1–4.1 m/s) over a distance of 200–400 yards (180–370 m).[1] The threat a small, fast, torpedo–delivering ship could pose to the battle line became clear to navies around the world; giving birth to the torpedo boat, including the USS Cushing of the United States navy.[1]

During the Spanish–American War, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt wrote torpedo boats were "the only real menace" to the fleet blockading Santiago; and pushed for the acquisition of torpedo boats and torpedo boat destroyers.[2] As President, Theodore Roosevelt continued to pay close attention to naval affairs, including the expansion of the Navy's fleet of destroyers.[2]

The first torpedo boat destroyers, the Bainbridge class, featured two torpedo tubes and two 3-inch guns, weighing 400 short tons (360 t).[1] The Smith and Paulding classes weighted 740 short tons (670 t), the reason these classes were nicknamed "flivvers" (lightweights).[2] By the time the United States entered World War I, destroyers weighed 1,000 short tons (910 t) and burned oil instead of coal.[1] These "1000 tonners" were armed with eight torpedo tubes, four 4 in./50 caliber guns; and had a crew of almost 100.[2] The 1000 tonners were classes Cassin through Sampson, and were also called "broken deckers", due to the high forecastles.[2]

Class name Number of ships First ship laid down Last ship commissioned References
Bainbridge 13 1899 1902 [3][4][5]
Truxtun 3 1899 1903 [6][7][8]
Smith 5 1908 1909 [9][10][11]
Paulding 21 1909 1912 [12][13][14]
Cassin 4 1912 1913 [15][16][17]
Aylwin 4 1912 1914 [18][19][20]
O'Brien 6 1913 1915 [21][22][23]
Tucker 6 1914 1916 [24][25][26]
Sampson 6 1915 1917 [27][28][29]

World War I

USS Wickes (DD-75) in harbor; circa early 1920s.

On entering World War I, in 1917, the United States began mass producing destroyers, laying down 273 keels for second-generation destroyers, sometimes called "flush deckers", "four stackers", or "four pipers".[1][30] Most of the destroyers were not in commission by the end of World War I, but all were commissioned by September 1921.[1] Eleven shipyards participated in the construction of flush deck destroyers, causing differences between builders and individual ships.[30]

The standard displacement of the flush deck destroyers was 1,200 ± 90 short tons (1,089 ± 82 t), the length approximately 314 feet (96 m), the beam measured approximately 31 feet (9.4 m), and the draft approximately 116 inches (2.9 m).[30] The average flush deck destroyer had a normal crew of 105 officers, and was armed with four 4-inch deck guns, one 3-inch anti-aircraft gun, 12 21-inch torpedo tubes, two stern-mounted depth charge racks, along with .50 caliber machine guns and small arms.[30] Each flush deck destroyer also had four boilers providing steam to a pair of turbines, with each turbine driving a 9-foot diameter screw at a combined 27,000 shaft horsepower (20 MW), pushing each destroyer to a maximum of 33 knots (17 m/s).[30]

Class name Number of ships First ship laid down Last ship commissioned References
Caldwell 6 1916 1917 [31]
Wickes[nb 1] 38 1917 1919 [32]
Little[nb 1] 52 1917 1920 [32]
Lamberton[nb 1] 11 1917 1919 [32]
Tattnall[nb 1] 10 1917 1919 [32]
Clemson 156 1918 1920 [33][34][35]

Between the World Wars

After the end of World War I, there was little need for the destroyers built, so many were laid up, and fourteen had their torpedo tubes removed and were converted to minesweepers.[30] On September 8, 1923, seven of the ships ran aground off the coast of California—the U.S. Navy's worst ever peacetime disaster.[30]

In 1922, the Washington Naval Treaty, was signed by the United States, the British Empire, the Empire of Japan, France, and Italy.[1] The treaty called for a freeze in size and composition of the world's major navies, including the U.S. Navy, which ceased production of large capital ships.[1] The London Naval Treaty, a 1931 agreement between the same parties, defined an acceptable total destroyer tonnage for the navies.[1] The treaty also established two categories: destroyer and destroyer leader; along with the maximum tonnage of each category, and the allowable ratio of one category to another.[1]

In the London Naval Treaty, destroyers were established as "surface vessels of war the Standard Displacement (S.D.) of which does not exceed 1,850 tons and with a gun not above 5.1-inch caliber.", as published in Ship’s Data for U.S. Naval Vessels.[1] The “total completed tonnage not to be exceeded on December 31, 1936” was 150,000 S.D., but “not more than 16 per cent of the allowed tonnage... shall be employed in vessels over 1,500 tons S.D.”.[1] The new, higher limits rendered the 225 four stackers obsolete, and the General Board quickly moved to replace them.[1] Since Japan was considered a probable adversary, the General Board replaced the four stackers with ships that could carry large quantities of fuel, ammunition, and supplies, enabling the ships to make travel long distances from home base.[1]

The U.S. Navy resumed destroyer construction in 1932 with the Farragut class. For the next seven years, the United States Navy constructed "1500 tonners", or "goldplaters".[36] The goldplaters earned this name because of the "over–lavish facilities", drawing criticism from older destroyermen, who gave the destroyers the name.[36]

Class name Number of ships First ship laid down Last ship commissioned References
Farragut 8 1932 1935 [37]
Porter 8 1933 1937 [38]
Mahan[nb 2] 16 1934 1937 [40]
Dunlap[nb 2] 2 1935 1937 [39][40]
Gridley 4 1935 1938 [41]
Bagley 8 1935 1937 [42]
Somers 5 1935 1939 [43][44][45]
Benham 10 1936 1939 [46]
Sims 12 1937 1940 [47]
Gleaves[nb 3] 66 1938 1943 [49]
Benson 30 1938 1943 [50]

World War II

Class name Number of ships First ship laid down Last ship commissioned References
Fletcher 175 1941 1944 [51]
Allen M. Sumner[nb 4] 58 1943 1946 [52][53]
Gearing 98 1944 1952 [54]

Cold War and beyond

Class name Number of ships First ship laid down Last ship commissioned References
Mitscher 4 1949 1954 [55]
Forrest Sherman 18 1953 1959 [56][57][58]
Farragut[nb 5] 10 1956 1961 [59]
Charles F. Adams 23 1957 1964 [60]
Spruance 31 1972 1980 [61]
Kidd[nb 6] 4 1978 1982 [62]
Arleigh Burke 56 (9+ planned) 1988 [63][64][65]
Zumwalt 0 (3+ planned) 2008 [64][66]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Wickes, Little, Lamberton, and Tattnall classes are sometimes classified as the Wickes class for a total of 111 ships.[32]
  2. ^ a b Dunlap class destroyers are sometimes considered part of Mahan class, or a subclass.[39]
  3. ^ Gleaves class was originally divided into the Livermore (24 ships) and Bristol (42 ships) classes.[48]
  4. ^ '70 ships were originally laid down as Allen M. Sumner class, but during construction 12 were converted to Robert H. Smith class fast minelayers.[52]
  5. ^ The Farragut class of the Cold War was also called the Coontz class.[59]
  6. ^ The Kidd class was based upon the Spruance class.[62]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Destroyer History — Introduction". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Early US Navy Destroyers". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
  3. ^ "Bainbridge Class". destroyers.org. Tin Can Sailors. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  4. ^ "Bainbridge". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  5. ^ "Stewart". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  6. ^ "Truxtun Class". destroyers.org. Tin Can Sailors. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  7. ^ "Truxtun". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  8. ^ "Worden". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  9. ^ "Smith Class". destroyers.org. Tin Can Sailors. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  10. ^ "Smith". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  11. ^ "Reid". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  12. ^ "Paulding Class". destroyers.org. Tin Can Sailors. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  13. ^ "Paulding". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  14. ^ "Jenkins". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  15. ^ "Cassin Class". destroyers.org. Tin Can Sailors. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  16. ^ "DD-43 USS Cassin (HULL 58)". gdbiw.com. Bath Iron Works. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  17. ^ "Duncan". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  18. ^ "Aylwin Class". destroyers.org. Tin Can Sailors. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  19. ^ "Aylwin". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  20. ^ "Balch". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  21. ^ "O'Brien Class". destroyers.org. Tin Can Sailors. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  22. ^ "O'Brien". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  23. ^ "Ericsson". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  24. ^ "Tucker Class". destroyers.org. Tin Can Sailors. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  25. ^ "Tucker". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  26. ^ "Wainwright". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  27. ^ "Sampson Class". destroyers.org. Tin Can Sailors. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  28. ^ "Sampson". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  29. ^ "Shaw". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g "Flush-deck destroyers". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
  31. ^ "Caldwell-class flush-deck destroyers". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  32. ^ a b c d e "Wickes- and Clemson-class flush-deck destroyers". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation.
  33. ^ "Clemson Class". destroyers.org. Tin Can Sailors. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  34. ^ "CLEMSON". Naval Vessel Register. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  35. ^ "Pruitt". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  36. ^ a b "Goldplaters, 1500-ton destroyers, and 1850-ton destroyer leaders". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
  37. ^ "Farragut-class destroyers in World War II". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  38. ^ "Porter-class destroyer leaders in World War II". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  39. ^ a b "USS Dunlap (DD 384), Mahan (Dunlap)-clas destroyer". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation.
  40. ^ a b "Mahan-class destroyers in World War II". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  41. ^ "Gridley-class destroyers in World War II". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  42. ^ "Bagley-class destroyers in World War II". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  43. ^ "Somers Class". destroyers.org. Tin Can Sailors. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  44. ^ "Somers". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  45. ^ "Jouett". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  46. ^ "Benham-class destroyers in World War II". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  47. ^ "Sims-class destroyers in World War II". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  48. ^ "Benson-class, Gleaves-class, Livermore-class, and Bristol-class destroyers in World War II". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation.
  49. ^ "Gleaves-class destroyers in World War II". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  50. ^ "Benson-class destroyers in World War II". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  51. ^ "Fletcher-class destroyers in World War II". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  52. ^ a b "Allen M. Sumner-class destroyers in World War II". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation.
  53. ^ "USS Henley (DD-762), Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer in World War II". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  54. ^ "Gearing-class destroyers in World War II". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  55. ^ "US Navy "Frigates" 1950-1975 in the cold war". destroyerhistory.org. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  56. ^ "The Forrest Sherman (DD) Class". destroyersonline.com. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  57. ^ "FORREST SHERMAN". Naval Vessel Register. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  58. ^ "Turner Joy". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  59. ^ a b "Farragut-class and Coontz-class firgates in the cold war". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  60. ^ "Charles F. Adams-class guided missle destroyers in the cold war". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  61. ^ "Spruance-class guided missile destroyers". destroyerhistory.org. Destroyer History Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  62. ^ a b "DDG-993 KIDD-class". fas.org. Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  63. ^ "General Characteristics, Arleigh Burke class". The US Navy -- Fact File. Department of the Navy. 20 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  64. ^ a b Drew, Christopher (April 8, 2009). "Contractors Agree on Deal to Build Stealth Destroyer". New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  65. ^ "Arleigh Burke". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  66. ^ "Defense Acquisitions: Cost to Deliver Zumwalt-class destroyers Likely to Exceed Budget". gao.gov. Government Accoutability Office. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
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