Truxtun class destroyers (1900)

The Truxtun-class destroyers were authorized by the Congress in their 4 May 1899 resolution after the Spanish–American War, FY1899 program. Built between 1899 and 1902, they represented only three ships, denominated DD-14 to DD-16 when laid down in 1899, and the second class of USN destroyers. All three survived WW1. They were discarded in 1919, but had been an interestep step towards the next Smith class, the first with a forecastle. The Bainbridge and Trxtun are indeed often assimiulated by Historians due to their relatively similar features and tonnage, notably their old fashioned flush deck with turtedeck at the bow typical of torpeod boats. They were a transitional class towards a long lineage that went up to the wartime Clemsons and Wickes, and US fleet destroyer at large.

Still a Torpedo Boat

The “new navy” inaugurated, perhaps somewhat influenced by the “Jeune Ecole”, a new lineage in 1886, the torpedo boats, a step needed to arrive to destroyers, like all other navies. Long story short as this was covered for the previous Bainbridge, the first experience with “torpedoes” went back to the spare-torpedo vessels of the Civil war like CSS David and seeing the first proper “torpedo boat”, the USS Spuyten Duyvil. Early raiding cruisers lacked torpedoes until the 1892 USS Olympia. The war broke out on April 31, 1898, and policies started to change, with a real consideration given to local defence when it was realized the remaining Spanish ships in Spain could well have sailed to the US West coast to create quite a rampage. At the time, the Armada was still superior to the USN, even twice larger on paper, albeir its ships were generally of lesser quality overall, with sometomes poor maintenance, supply and training, but still, the Armada kept at home the recent Pelayo, and several modernized former ironclads mong others.

The realization that was nothing to protect the East coast for such an action calme however years earlier back in 1890 and led to try experimentally a new type of “asymetric warfare” designs, that went a bit against Mahan’s own views of fleet power, torpedo boats. They had been fielded by every other major naval powers at the time including Great Britain. This led to the design and adoption of the first (and only) USN Torpedo Boats.

Herreschoff provided the prototype USS Stiletto, followed by USS Cushing (“TB-1”), TB-2 USS Eriscsson (1894), and Foote, Porter, up to USS Wilkes in 1901, 110 to 220 tonnes and from a variety of yards, testing different powerplant and other features. The USN was also aware of the development in Europe of large torpedo boats called “Torpedo Boat Destroyer” and in 1898 the Spanish fielded the Destructor 1885 and Furor class (launched 1896-97) that took part in the war. Furor indeed was seen action in Cuba. I any case, the USN proposed before the war a large torpedo boat, TB-11, later USS Farragut, authorized by the Congress on 10 june 1896. Farragut, was not completed in time for the Spanish-American war but set the stage for a brand new class, TB-11 to TB-21 (1897-99), at first called “Ocean-Going Torpedo Boats”.

Orders for comparative tests to various yards resulting on the 3/3/1897 act led to the construction of TB-19 (USS Stringham), TB-20 (USS Goldborough) and TB-21 (USS Bailey) in 1898 and experience led to many modifications for small boats still at 235 to 340 tons. The ocean-going torpedo boats launched in 1898-1899 would be re-rated to becom the first US destroyers, based on their tonnage, albeit still classed as TBs. These new Bainbridge class were considerably larger and better armed for a specificied 30 knots with a revised design based on the poor sea-keeping qualities of the Farragut class to create 13 ships later classed as “Torpedo Boat Destroyers” as authorized by Congress on 4 May 1898, FY1899 and this program was to be completed by three Truxtun-class. The Bainbridge design was completely new and standardized, ordered from Neafies & Levy, WR Trigg and 420 tonnes, more than the Spanish Furor class.

They were armed with two 3-in, five 6-pdr, and two 18-in torpedo tubes (457 mm) (instead of 14-inon previous TBs) with a top speed of 29 knots.

The Truxtun class Design

The Truxtun (DD 14-16), with USS Truxtun, Whipple and Worden, were also completed as flush-deckers with a turtleback foredeck. Tonnage was now 433 tonnes, with a 260 foot base, but the armament was designed as the same. Most authors sets them apart albeit they proceeded from the very same 4 May 1898 act, but moved FY1899. They were launched all three at the same Maryland Steel Yard on 15 August 1901. Amazingly, there was a gap of nine years between the Truxtun and the next Smith class provided a forecastle, the next standard over a 700 tonnes displacement.

Hull and general design

The Truxtun class was larger and the design from Maryland Steel for Truxtun, Whipple and Worden (laid down at Sparrows Point, Baltimore Harbor) differed from the standard (Bainbrige) Navy design by thri British-inspired turtleback forecastle supposed to prevent foredeck flooding. The trio was regarded after completed in 1902 as successful overall. Their careers spaned up to and through World War I, but their type was considerd obsolete postwar and they were stricken on 15 September 1919, sold all three on 3 January 1920… as banana carriers. Whipple was scrapped in 1956. A fascinating story worth investigating (see below).

Powerplant

Truxtun did not differed from the previous Bainbridge, since they were bound by requirement. They had the same Thornycroft boilers rated for 240 psi (1,700 kPa) steam, coming to two vertical triple-expansion engines for a total output of 8,300 ihp (6,200 kW) as designed, which made for a 30 knots as designed and 29.58 knots (34.0 mph; 54.8 km/h) obtained on trials at 8,300 ihp (6,200 kW). The standad coal capacity was 232 tons, which made for a similar radius of action as for the previous vessel.

Armament

The standard remained the same as specified for the Bainbridge, as all carried the same combination with Two 3-in/25 (76 mm) guns, Five 6-pdr QF guns (57 mm), two 18-in torpedo tubes.
Interestingly enough, the only change was on the Paul Jones sub-class which in the 1910s replaced their two single tubes by a twin bank amidships. The single one aft was removed.

Main: 2x 3-inches

The two 3-in/25 guns were located fore and aft on raised platforms. Unfortunately i can’t find much data about these 1890s guns. The closest were the 3″/23.5 (7.62 cm) Marks 4 developed in 1900 by Bethlehem Steel, using with a side-swing carrier breech block. More data.

This is another story for the 3-in/50 however (it’s likely all were upgraded to this standard after completion). The 3″/50 (7.62 cm) Mark 2 was developed in 1898 and entered service in 1900 so as the destroyers were completed. Designed by Bethlehem Steel they fired fixed ammunitions. Stats were: 15 rounds per minute, 24 lbs. (10.9 kg) shells at 2,700 fps (823 mps). The number of rounds carried is unknown. It’s likely they were upgraded to Mark 3 or 5 in WWI.

Secondary: Six 6-pdr

They had six instead of five of the classic QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss guns.

These used a vertical sliding-block breech with hydro-spring recoil, fired a 57x307R shell at 25 rpm and 1,818 feet per second (554 m/s) up to 4,000 yards (3,700 m). On this class they were located along the hull, on deck and broadside, two abaft funnel #1 and two more in front of funnel #3. The last one was axial, located just behind funnel #4. Note that this location changed on the Lawrence sub-class as they had four funnels close together. On this class, the 6-pdr forward were relocated abaft the 3-in main gunnery platform. On all forecastle ships, the guns were located abaft #1 funnel, and specially made recesses to fire forward, protected from the elements by a bulwark. This location was judged ideal to have three guns firing in chase.

Torpedoes

The two torpedo tubes were located on deck, axis positions, one between the two groups of funnels (on the Lawrence, behind the group) and one completely aft, close to the stern. This gave them excellent traverse angles. They also carried four reload torpedoes. The reload operation was of course manual, using pulleys, and a long operation.
As customary of the time, these destroyers not only had single torpedo tubes, but also 18-in caliber torpedoes, but in reality they were 17.7 inches (45.0 cm) in diameter. This caliber was chosen on US destroyers as well starting with USS Cushing (1890) instead of the 14-in used on the Spanish Furor class destroyers and many early destroyers and torpedo boats on the time, but also the experimental USS Stiletto, using the early 14.2″ (36 cm) Howell.

US early Torpedoes of the Howell type, using a flywheel for power, were quickly replaced by the Whitehead type built under licence by Bliss-Levitt, using compressed air.
There is doubt about the exact type used on the Truxtun class: Either the “Short” Whitehead 18″ (45 cm) Mark 1 or the “Short” Whitehead 18″ (45 cm) Mark 2, the “Long” Whitehead 18″ (45 cm) Mark 1 or Type B introduced in 1898, Mark 2 or Type C or the one introduced when they were completed:
The Whitehead 18″ (45 cm) Mark 3 or Type A:
First using a Mark 1 mod 1 gyro, they weighted 845 lbs. (383 kg) for 140 in (3.556 m) long, carrying a 118 lbs. (53.5 kg) wet gun-cotton charge at 800 yards (730 m)/27.5 knots.
The engine was using an air-flask (cold running) with compressed air on three cylinder, radial Brotherhood pattern.

Author’s profile of USS Truxtun, DD-11

⚙ Truxtun (DD-14) specifications
Displacement	433 tons standard (440t), 605 fully loaded (615t)
Dimensions	259 oa x 22ft 3in x 6ft (79.10 x 6.78 x 1.8m)
Propulsion	2 shafts VTE, 4 Thornycroft Boilers, 8,300 ihp
Speed	30 kts (56 km/h; 35 mph) as designed.
Range	2,700(8 kts), 175 tons coal
Armament	2x 3-in/50, 6x 6-pdr, 2x 18-in TTs
Crew	75 rating +3 officers

USS Truxtun displaced 631 long tons (641 t) as designed full load but 710.5 long tons (721.9 t) in actual full load.
Construction time, from keel laying to commission was four years on average, quite long for destroyers.

USS Truxtun was ordered as yard N°21 at Maryland Steel, Sparrows Point, first in class, laid down on November 1899, launched on 15 August 1901 and commissioned on September 1902. After that she was assigned to the 2nd Torpedo Flotilla, under her first commanding officer, also appointed commander of the flotilla. After trials off Norfolk until 14 January 1903 she was finally accepted on 24 April and by August, was in combined maneuvers off Frenchman Bay in Maine, as well as in the Presidential review by Theodore Roosevelt at Oyster Bay, then joint Army-Navy exercise off Portland. On 26 September the unit she led, the 2nd Torpedo Flotilla, entered the Coast Squadron (North Atlantic Fleet). She joined it for target practice off Massachusetts and back to Norfolk for fixes.

For the next four years, she remained off the Atlantic coast and Caribbean. On 31 October 1905 she collided with a barge at Norfolk. By December 1907 she was in Hampton Roads to train with battleships and reviewed by President Roosevelt. This was the departure of the “Great White Fleet” between Capes Charles and Henry, Truxtun escorting them for their first leg to the west coast via Brazil, Chile, Peru, Panama, and Mexico and San Francisco in May 1908. She was reassigned to the Pacific and had repars at Mare Island Navy Yard, then led her unit for a training voyage to Hawaii and Samoa and back to San Diego homeport in December. She sailed to Alaskan waters, notably anchored at Sitka with another flotilla (photo) as well as Seward, Skagway, and Juneau. By the summer of 1911 she remained active with the Pacific Torpedo Fleet, based from San Diego and on 25 March 1912, she entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet (RADM Alfred Reynolds) after severe manpower shortages. Her crew was reduced from 1 June, still maintained in “…in constant readiness for sea.”

She was again in full commission on 12 October under Lieutenant Daniel J. Callaghan (5 September 1915-11 Nov 1916), Later Rear admiral, resumed her activity, sailing both in Mexican waters to protect American interests. By July 1916 she was back ti the reserve division of the Coast Torpedo Force, later “Division 2 (Reserve), Coast Torpedo Force” after a series of short cruises along the California coast. On 18 February 1917, with the US soon at war, she was back at full commission in patrol duty off the Panama Canal. On 6 April she left Colon harbor for Puerto Colombia to watxh German ship SS Prinz August Wilhelm anchored there, relieved by Stewart on 14 April, back to to Colon. For three months, she patrolled of Panama and Colombia, and sometmimes operated as submarine tender. On 4 July 1917, she was transferred east to Balboa with Stewart, Preble, and Whipple, reaching Hampton Roads on 13 July. Until late August, she patrolled Chesapeake Bay and once stopped at New York and Philadelphia, also escorted USS Texas. On 31 August, she departed Philadelphia for the Azores via Bermuda, entering Ponta Delgada on 16 September. She remained there until early December. With Whipple she met SS Caproni on 30 September, escorted into Ponta Delgada on 3 October. By mid-October, she travelled to Funchal in Madeira and back. On 6 December she sailed via Gibraltar for France, reached Brest on 15 December for merchant convoys until the end of the war.

In the night of 17 April 1918 she witnessed the ammunition loaded SS Florence H. exploding into Quiberon Bay and she had to extricate from surrounding flaming seas and rescue many crewmen. CO Lieutenant Ware, was awarded the DSM for his actions. On 18 May in the morning in convoy, she spotted an underwater disturbance and attacked, dropping depth charges, firing her guns underwater, albeit her DCs failed to detonate and the U-boat (likely UC-56) escaped. She returned after a 30 min. chase. As World War I ended, Truxtun left Brest on 18 December with Flusser, Stewart, Whipple, and Worden, via Ponta Delgada and Bermuda, to Philadelphia via the Delaware River on 3 January 1919 and decommissioned on 18 July, struck on 15 September. She was sold to Henry A. Hitner’s Sons on 3 January 1920 for conversion to mercantile service as a “motor fruit carrier” with a long service until scrapped in 1956.

USS Whipple was ordered as yard N°22 at Maryland Steel, laid down in November 1899, launched as her sister Truxtun but commissioned instead a month later in October 1902. After training in Chesapeake Bay, she was assigned to the 2nd Torpedo Flotilla based at Norfolk and periodically used as flagship with an area of operations off the east coast and Caribbean until placed in reserve at Norfolk on 5 September 1905. Lieutenant Jehu V. Chase wa sin charge from 17 February 1903 to 3 June 1905. She was fully recommissioned on 16 July 1906, later under Lieutenant Frank H. Brumby (8-25 August 1906) for tactical exercises and routine training until November 1907, this time under Lieutenant Hutchinson I. Cone (8 October 1907 to 1 June 1908), and was dispatched for relief operations after the 1907 Kingston earthquake in Jamaica. On 2 December she was in the Carribean for goodwill visits and showing the flag. She also escorted the 16 battleships of the “Great White Fleet”, ending at Rio de Janeiro, rounding Cape Horn for touring ports on the Chilean and Peruvian coasts and target practice at Magdalena Bay in Mexico, then a fleet review at San Francisco, 8 May 1908, remaining at San Diego, Pacific Torpedo Flotilla. On 24 August she took part in a fleet battle problem in Hawaii and back to the west coast via Samoa and Magdalena Bay, then Baja, California and San Diego on 1 December. For the next years she trained from San Diego and Magdalena Bay to Alaskan waters as well as patrolling the Mexican coast in 1914 and 1916.

On 6 April 1917, she patrolled the approached of the Panama Canal until 5 July and was refitted for “distant service”, sent in the Atlantic on 28 August, via the Azores on 17 September. She became an escort ship between the islands across the Atlantic for three months. She was sent to Brest for Anti-submarine patrols, convoy escort until the spring of 1918. On 17 April, she was near the ammunition ship Florence H. whe she blew up off Quiberon Bay and she joined Stewart and Truxtun in rescuing 32 men (out of a 77-man crew). She was in esscot missions until V-Day, and departed the French coast via the Azores and Bermuda to Philadelphia on 3 January 1919. Decommissioned on 7 July, struck on 15 September she was sold to 3 January 1920, Henry A. Hitner’s Sons, for mercantile service as banana transport.

USS Worden was ordered as yard N°23 at Maryland Steel alsl laid down as her sister in November 1899 and launched the same day on 15 August 1901 but completed two month later in December 1902. She had trials, shakedown and final acceptance test on 18 July, entering the 2nd Torpedo Flotilla in Norfolk, training there for four years along the eastern seaboard from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico with summer Fleet maneuvers in the Caribbean. On 18 November 1907, she was placed in reserve at Norfolk Navy Yard, berthed first at Norfolk, then at Charleston. For six-month (May-November 1909) she was in full commission. Worden remained inactive until 1912 under Ensign William R. Munroe (Later Vice admiral). She was loaned to the Pennsylvania Naval Militia for training from Philadelphia and bac to Charleston in Reserve by 1913.
In 1914 she became a tender to the Atlantic Fleet Submarine Force and operated in support of submarines until March 1917, then sent to New York on special duty. In June, she was reassigned back to her own command in Division B, Destroyer Force and had a recruiting duty at New York until late 1917.

On 16 January 1918, later under Lieutenant commander Oscar C. Badger II (August 1918-October 1918) at last she was sent to Europe in convoy escort with USS Hopkins, Macdonough, Paul Jones, and Stewart via Bermuda and Ponta Delgada (Azores) and arrive din Gibraltar on 29 January. On 4 she sailed along the Spanish and French coast and reached Brest on the 9th, departing to escort coastal convoys for the last nine months. On 18 December, weeks after the armistice, she was in Brest with Flusser, Stewart, and Whipple prepared to depart for home. After refueling and stopping in the Azores and Bermuda she arrived at Philadelphia on 3 January 1919. She remained in commission for six months, and decommissioned on 13 July, struck on 15 September. In 1920, 3 January, she was sold to Henry A. Hitner’s Sons for conversion to a banana transport. She even retained her former name.

Destroyers turned Banana Carriers

Conversions appearance, note the holds masts, bridge sent all the way back aft, and small funnel, diesels below.

The conversion of all three ships in mercantile service was not unique to them. Many ships at the time had the same fate, even cruisers. They were sold by the Navy for pennies per pound to Henry A. Hitner’s Sons Co. initially for scrapping so instead, they were resold as motor fruit carriers, also advantaged by being shallow enough to go through fruit company waterways, such as the Snyder Canal in Panama. It seems at first glance these fast, nimble ships were completely off the mark as merchant vessels, with their powerful machinery right in the way, but with a reduced crew. The first conversion envisioned was to remove armament, removing most of the accomodations and converting them into holds at both ends of the original machinery amidship so to could carry preishable fruits and banana in particular quite fat to the market. That was the point, as they were fast, but their machinery was soon deemed uneconomical, their speed too much for their roles, so it was decided to gut the entire machinery away. Final Appearance

Worden towing La Paz to safety in May 1942 after being torpedoed by U-109 (facebook)

Their engineering suite, the two VTE and four boilers were retired to make room for an extra hold, and they ended still still fast and economical enough. Their old magazines were also turned into banana holds, at the time, capable of holding 15,000 stems of fruit. Gone were her VTE engines and boilers, for a pair of economical 12-cylinder Atlas Imperial Diesels generating 211 NHP for 15 knots for their long and narrow hull built for speed. All four coal funnels were replaced by tall cowl vents and single diesel stack aft. They ended at 433 GRT, 264-ft length, 14-ft hold depth, crew one officer, 17 hands, painted buff above the waterline to reflect heat. They were the right took for the “Banana Boom” of the 1920s. In 1921 they operated for Robert Shepherd in Nicaragua, for banana runs to Galveston and New Orleans, flagged by the Snyder Banana Company of Bluefields.

In 1922 they ended to R.A. Harvin, US Marshal in Texas after a libel proceeding. They were sold at public auction to Harry Nevelson, resold to the Mexican-American Fruit Company and then to the Southern Banana Co. In 1925 they perated for Vaccaro brothers, Standard Fruit & S S Co. By 1933 this was “Seaboard S S Corp (Standard Fruit, Mgrs)” based in Nicaragua, apparently modified to carry more as they had a tonnage of 546 GRT. By 1939 Worden still was with the Bahamas Shipping Company but on 1 May 1942 she spotted the stranded, torpedoed ship La Paz by U-109 (Bleichrodt later claimed both ships sunk) and took her in tow. She was later beached and Worden remained in Lloyd’s register, scrapped in 1956. Truxtun was lost on 5 September 1938, Whipple scrapped in 1956.

Read More

Books

Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1860–1905.
Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.
Friedman, Norman (2004). US Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History (Revised ed.). Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.
Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger (1979). Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships, 1860–1905. New York: Mayflower Books.
Simpson, Richard V. Building The Mosquito Fleet, The US Navy’s First Torpedo Boats. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2001
Silverstone, Paul H. (1970). U.S. Warships of World War I. London: Ian Allan.
Eger, Christopher L. (2012). “Hudson-Fulton Naval Celebration, Part I”. Warship International. XLIX (2)
Sieche, Erwin F. (1990). “Austria-Hungary’s Last Visit to the USA”. Warship International. XXVII (2)
Leopold, Reuven (December 1977). “Innovation adoption in naval ship design”. Naval Engineers Journal. 89

Links

https://www.navsource.net/archives/05/016.htm
https://www.navsource.net/archives/05/015.htm
https://www.navsource.net/archives/05/014.htm
https://destroyerhistory.org/early/usstruxtun/
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1907/01/20/106736584.pdf
catalog.archives.gov
destroyerhistory.org/

en.wikipedia.org
navweaps.com
navweaps.com/
http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_6pounder_m1.php
history.navy.mil
destroyers.org
destroyerhistory.org
navypedia.org
historyofwar.org
https://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Truxtun_Class_Destroyer_(1901)
https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/truxtun-torpedo-boat-destroyer-no-14-ii.html

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