Benson class Destroyers (1939-41) US Navy Fleet Destroyers (1938-70s) – 30 destroyers: Benson, Mayo, Madison, Lansdale, Hilary P. Jones, Charles F. Hughes, Laffey, Woodworth, Farenholt, Bailey, Bancroft, Barton, Boyle, Champlin, Meade, Murphy, Parker, Caldwell, Coghlan, Frazier, Gansevoort, Gillespie, Hobby, Kalk, Kendrick, Laub, MacKenzie, McLanahan, Nields, Ordronaux USS Benson (DD-421) as completed. The Benson class were … Read more
Sims class Destroyers (1938) US Navy Fleet Destroyers (1937-47): USS Sims, Hugues, Anderson, Hamman, Mustin, Russel, O’Brien, Walke, Morris, Roe, Wainwright, Buck These 12 ships were the last US prewar destroyers class (completed before Dec. 1941). They marked a turning point, leaving behind theoretical considerations and naval staff ideas for a more pragrmatic approach, both … Read more
USN Fleet Destroyers (1917-1947): 156 destroyers (DD-186 to DD-347) The Clemson-class were 156 destroyers built for the US Navy between 1918 and 1922. Second of the two wartime mass-produced classes of “flush deck” hull destroyers (“four-pipers”). They were near-repeats of the Wickes class, themselves derived from the experimental Caldwell design. The previous class was faster, … Read more
Benham class Destroyers (1938) US Navy Fleet Destroyers (1936-46): USS Benham, Ellet, Lang, Mayrant, Trippe, Rhind, Rowan, Stack, Sterett, Wilson DD-397 to DD-408 The Benham-class destroyers were essentiall a repeat of the previous Gridley-Bagley classes, sporting the same impressive sixteen torpedo battery and four main guns, single funnel. They shared the same hull and the … Read more
USN Fleet Destroyers (1917-1947): 111 destroyers (DD-75 to DD-185) The Wickes-class were 111 destroyers built for the US Navy between 1917 and 1921. First of the two wartime mass-produced classes of “flush deck” hull destroyers (“four-pipers”), and improved version of the Caldwell design but faster. Seeing little from WWI for most, they served in the … Read more
Somers class Destroyers (1937) US Navy Large Destroyers (1937-48): USS Somers, Warrington, Sampson, Davis, Jouett, DD-381-86 The Somers-class were a class five large destroyers built for the United States Navy in the 1930s, large fleet destroyers as the previous Porter, intended to deal with the Japanese “special types”. Named after naval heroes they were commissioned … Read more
Bagley class Destroyers (1936) Fleet Destroyers (1935-48): USS Bagley, Blue, Helm, Mugford, Ralph Talbot, Henley, Patterson, Jarvis DD-386-93 The Bagley-class destroyers were a group of eight destroyers built for the United States Navy during the 1930s. They were designed to serve as multipurpose warships capable of conducting a wide range of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, … Read more
Gridley class destroyers (1937-1947) USN Fleet Destroyers (1912-1935): USS Gridley, Craven, McCall, Maury (DD-380-401) The Gridley-class destroyers were four 1500-ton fleet destroyers according to the London Naval Treaty, laid down by June 1935 and March 1936, commissioned in 1937-38 and largely based on the previous Mahan-class destroyers: Same hull but single stack and reviewed powerplant, … Read more
US Navy Fleet Destroyers (1934-48): USS Mahan, Cummings, Drayton, Lamson, Flusser, Reid, Case, Conyngham, Cassin, Shaw, Tucker, Downes, Cushing, Perkins, Smith, Preston, Dunlap, Fanning The Mahan-class were 18 standard fleet destroyers, 16 planned FY33 and laid down in 1934 and the last two (Dunlap and Fanning) FY34, all commissioned in 1936-1937. They were an improvement … Read more
Porter class destroyers (1935) USN Flotilla Leader Destroyers (1933-59): Porter, Selfridge, McDougal, Winslow, Phelps, Clark, Moffett, Balch The first interwar Flotilla Leaders Second step of the renewal of the US Destroyer force in the interwar, started with the Farragut class, the Porters were eight 1,850-ton large destroyers authorized by Congress on 26 April 1916 with … Read more
