Fletcher class destroyer
Encyclopedia
The Fletcher class were a class
of destroyers built by the United States during World War II
. The class was designed in 1939 as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types. Some went on to serve during the Korean War
and into the Vietnam War
.
The United States Navy
commissioned 175 Fletcher-class destroyers between 1942 and 1944, more than any other destroyer class, and the Fletcher design was generally regarded as highly successful. The Fletcher class had a design speed of 38 knots, armed with five 5" guns in single mounts and carrying 10 21" torpedo in twin quintuple centerline mounts. The Allen M. Sumner-
and Gearing
classes were Fletcher derivatives.
The long-range Fletcher-class ships would participate in battles in every aspect that could be asked of a destroyer, from anti-submarine warfare and anti-aircraft warfare to surface actions. They could cover the vast distances required by fleet actions in the Pacific. In fact, they served almost exclusively in the Pacific Theater of Operations
during World War II. In a massive effort, the Fletcher-class ships were built by shipyard
s across the United States
and, after World War II ended, many were sold to the very countries they had fought against: Italy
, Germany
, and Japan
, as well as other navies, where they would go on to have even longer, distinguished careers.
Three have been preserved as museum ships in the US, and one in Greece.
) was the largest class of destroyer
ordered, and was also one of the most successful and popular with the destroyer men themselves. Compared to earlier classes built for the Navy, they carried a significant increase in anti-aircraft weapons and other weaponry, which caused displacements to rise. Their flush deck
construction added structural strength, although it did make them rather cramped.
Throughout the course of World War II, the number of anti-aircraft weapons increased resulting in five twin-40 mm Bofors
plus seven 20 mm weapons by 1945. Fifty-one were further modified beginning in 1945, replacing the forward torpedo tube
s and midships 40 mm twin Bofors with quad mounts for a total of 14 barrels, and the seven 20 mm singles with six 20 mm twins. Three (Pringle
, Stevens
, Halford
) were built (six planned) with aircraft catapults, resulting in the deletion of one 5-inch mount and the after set of torpedo tubes. This alteration was not a success in service and was not repeated. The three destroyers were later converted to the normal Fletcher-class configuration.
Nineteen were lost during World War II; six more were damaged and not repaired. Postwar, the remainder were decommissioned and put into reserve.
With the outbreak of the Korean War
many were returned to active duty. During this time 39 were refitted, reducing their overall main armament and the number of torpedo tubes. A new ahead-throwing weapon called Weapon Alpha
was installed in many of the ships. Others carried trainable hedgehog
s.
, which were top heavy and needed lead ballast to correct it, caused the Fletcher design to be widened by 18" in the beam.
Any remaining were broken up in the 1970s. The last Fletcher in service, BAM Cuitlahuac
(ex-John Rodgers), left the Mexican navy in 2001, meaning the total service life of the Fletchers stretched over almost six decades and into the 21st century.
Four ships have been preserved as museum ship
s:
The USS John Rodgers
was bought from the Mexican Navy by a Florida-based foundation, but is now derelict at a pier in the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, Mexico.
Ship class
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....
of destroyers built by the United States during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The class was designed in 1939 as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types. Some went on to serve during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and into the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
The United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
commissioned 175 Fletcher-class destroyers between 1942 and 1944, more than any other destroyer class, and the Fletcher design was generally regarded as highly successful. The Fletcher class had a design speed of 38 knots, armed with five 5" guns in single mounts and carrying 10 21" torpedo in twin quintuple centerline mounts. The Allen M. Sumner-
Allen M. Sumner class destroyer
The Allen M. Sumner class was a group of 58 destroyers built by the United States during World War II. Another twelve ships were completed as destroyer minelayers...
and Gearing
Gearing class destroyer
The Gearing class was a group of 98 destroyers built for the US Navy during and shortly after World War II. The Gearing design was a minor modification of the immediately preceding Allen M. Sumner class...
classes were Fletcher derivatives.
The long-range Fletcher-class ships would participate in battles in every aspect that could be asked of a destroyer, from anti-submarine warfare and anti-aircraft warfare to surface actions. They could cover the vast distances required by fleet actions in the Pacific. In fact, they served almost exclusively in the Pacific Theater of Operations
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
during World War II. In a massive effort, the Fletcher-class ships were built by shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
s across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and, after World War II ended, many were sold to the very countries they had fought against: Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, as well as other navies, where they would go on to have even longer, distinguished careers.
Three have been preserved as museum ships in the US, and one in Greece.
Description
The Fletcher class (named for Admiral Frank F. FletcherFrank Friday Fletcher
Frank Friday Fletcher was an United States Navy admiral who served in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was awarded the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions as commander of Navy forces at the Battle of Veracruz, Mexico.-Biography:Fletcher was born on...
) was the largest class of destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
ordered, and was also one of the most successful and popular with the destroyer men themselves. Compared to earlier classes built for the Navy, they carried a significant increase in anti-aircraft weapons and other weaponry, which caused displacements to rise. Their flush deck
Flush deck
In naval architecture, a flush deck refers to when the upper deck of a vessel extends unbroken from stem to stern. There is no raised forecastle or lowered quarterdeck. Ships of this type may be referred to as "flush deckers", although this is often taken as referring to a series of United States...
construction added structural strength, although it did make them rather cramped.
Throughout the course of World War II, the number of anti-aircraft weapons increased resulting in five twin-40 mm Bofors
Bofors 40 mm gun
The Bofors 40 mm gun is an anti-aircraft autocannon designed by the Swedish defence firm of Bofors Defence...
plus seven 20 mm weapons by 1945. Fifty-one were further modified beginning in 1945, replacing the forward torpedo tube
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
s and midships 40 mm twin Bofors with quad mounts for a total of 14 barrels, and the seven 20 mm singles with six 20 mm twins. Three (Pringle
USS Pringle (DD-477)
USS Pringle , a , was a ship of the United States Navy named for Vice Admiral Joel R. P. Pringle .Pringle was laid down by the Charleston Navy Yard, on 31 July 1941; launched on 2 May 1942, sponsored by Mrs. John D. H. Kane; and commissioned on 15 September 1942, with Lieutenant Commander Harold O...
, Stevens
USS Stevens (DD-479)
USS Stevens , a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the second ship of that name in the United States Navy. This ship was named for both Rear Admiral Thomas H. Stevens, Jr...
, Halford
USS Halford (DD-480)
USS Halford , a , was a ship of the United States Navy named for Lieutenant William Halford , a recipient of the Medal of Honor....
) were built (six planned) with aircraft catapults, resulting in the deletion of one 5-inch mount and the after set of torpedo tubes. This alteration was not a success in service and was not repeated. The three destroyers were later converted to the normal Fletcher-class configuration.
Nineteen were lost during World War II; six more were damaged and not repaired. Postwar, the remainder were decommissioned and put into reserve.
With the outbreak of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
many were returned to active duty. During this time 39 were refitted, reducing their overall main armament and the number of torpedo tubes. A new ahead-throwing weapon called Weapon Alpha
Weapon Alpha
The RUR-4 "Weapon Alpha" was an American naval ahead-throwing ASW rocket launcher.Similar to the earlier American Mousetrap, 375mm Swedish Bofors, and 250mm and 300mm Soviet systems, all of which use multiple rockets, Weapon Alpha was developed toward the end of World War II, in response to the...
was installed in many of the ships. Others carried trainable hedgehog
Hedgehog (weapon)
The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...
s.
Design
The Fletcher-class destroyer was the first generation of destroyers to be designed after the series of Naval Treaties, that had limited ship designs heretofore. The growth in the design was in part answer to the question that always dogged U.S. Navy designs, that being the ranges required by the Pacific Ocean. They were also to carry no less than five 5" guns, and ten centerline torpedoes allowing them to meet any foreign design on equal terms. In the design they also were much less top heavy than the previous classes allowing them to take on additional equipment and weapons without major redesign. They had the fortune of catching American production at the right moment becoming "the" destroyer design and only Fletcher-class derivatives the Sumner and Gearing classes would follow it. The first design inputs were in the fall of 1939 from questionnaires distributed around design bureaus and the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. The design parameters were in the form of the armaments desired of the next destroyer. As such the questions of how many guns, torpedoes, and depth charges were seen as desirable and further asked at what point would the design grow large enough to become a torpedo target instead of a torpedo delivery system. The answer that came back was that five 5" dual purpose guns, twelve torpedoes, and twenty eight depth charges would be ideal, while the idea of returning to the 1500 ton designs of the past was seen as undesirable. Speed requirements varied from 35 to 38 knots, and shortcomings in the earlier Sims classSims class destroyer
The Sims-class consisted of 12 destroyers in the United States Navy, built in seven various shipyards, and commissioned in 1939 and 1940. It was the last United States destroyer class completed prior to World War II. All Sims-class ships saw action in World War II, and seven survived the war...
, which were top heavy and needed lead ballast to correct it, caused the Fletcher design to be widened by 18" in the beam.
Other navies
Many of the ships were sold to other navies during the mid 1950s, including:- ArgentinaArgentine NavyThe Navy of the Argentine Republic or Armada of the Argentine Republic is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force....
: 5 - BrazilBrazilian NavyThe Brazilian Navy is a branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible for conducting naval operations. It is the largest navy in Latin America...
: 7 - ChileChilean Navy-Independence Wars of Chile and Peru :The Chilean Navy dates back to 1817. A year before, following the Battle of Chacabuco, General Bernardo O'Higgins prophetically declared "this victory and another hundred shall be of no significance if we do not gain control of the sea".This led to the...
: 2 - ColombiaColombian National ArmadaThe Colombian Navy , also known as the "Armada Nacional" or just the "Armada" in Spanish, is the naval branch of the military forces of Colombia....
: 1 - GreeceHellenic NavyThe Hellenic Navy is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence...
: 6 - ItalyMarina MilitareThe Italian Navy is the navy of the Italian Republic. It is one of the four branches of military forces of Italy; formed in 1946, from what remained of the Regia Marina . As of 2008, the Italian Navy had 35,200 active personnel with 180 commissioned ships, 19 Floating Docks, and 123 aircraft...
: 3 - JapanJapan Maritime Self-Defense ForceThe , or JMSDF, is the naval branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. It was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy after World War II....
: 2 - MexicoMexican NavyThe Mexican Navy is the naval branch of the Mexican military responsible for conducting naval operations. Its stated mission is "to use the naval force of the federation for the exterior defense, and to help with internal order". The Navy consists of about 56,000 men and women plus reserves, over...
: 2 - PeruPeruvian NavyThe Peruvian Navy is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to 200 nautical miles from the Peruvian littoral...
: 2 - South KoreaRepublic of Korea NavyThe Republic of Korea Navy or the ROK Navy is the branch of the South Korean armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations and amphibious landing operations. The ROK Navy includes the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, which is a quasi-autonomous organization...
: 3 - SpainSpanish NavyThe Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
: 5 - TaiwanRepublic of China NavyThe Republic of China Navy is the maritime branch of the Armed forces of the Republic of China . The ROC Navy's primary mission is to defend ROC territories and the sea lanes that surround Taiwan against a blockade, attack, or possible invasion by forces of the People's Republic of China...
: 4 - TurkeyTurkish NavyThe Turkish Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.- Ottoman fleet after Mudros :Following the demise of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, on November 3, 1918, the fleet commander of the Ottoman Navy, Liva Amiral Arif Pasha, ordered all flags to be...
: 4 - West GermanyGerman NavyThe German Navy is the navy of Germany and is part of the unified Bundeswehr .The German Navy traces its roots back to the Imperial Fleet of the revolutionary era of 1848 – 52 and more directly to the Prussian Navy, which later evolved into the Northern German Federal Navy...
: 6
Any remaining were broken up in the 1970s. The last Fletcher in service, BAM Cuitlahuac
USS John Rodgers (DD-574)
USS John Rodgers was a of the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship of that name, in honor of three members of the Rodgers family who served in the Navy from the War of 1812 through World War I...
(ex-John Rodgers), left the Mexican navy in 2001, meaning the total service life of the Fletchers stretched over almost six decades and into the 21st century.
Four ships have been preserved as museum ship
Museum ship
A museum ship, or sometimes memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public, for educational or memorial purposes...
s:
- USS Cassin YoungUSS Cassin Young (DD-793)USS Cassin Young , a , was a ship of the United States Navy named for Captain Cassin Young , who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism at Pearl Harbor and killed in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal....
, in Boston, Massachusetts - USS The SullivansUSS The Sullivans (DD-537)USS The Sullivans is a Fletcher-class destroyer. She is the first United States Navy ship to be named in honor of the five Sullivan brothers aged 20 to 27 who lost their lives when their ship, USS Juneau, was sunk by a Japanese submarine during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on...
, in Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the... - USS KiddUSS Kidd (DD-661)USS Kidd , a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, who died on the bridge of his flagship USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor...
, in Baton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South... - AT (Destroyer of Hellenic Navy) Velos former USS CharretteUSS Charrette (DD-581)USS Charrette was a of the United States Navy, named for Lieutenant George Charrette , who was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Spanish-American War....
in Faliro, GreeceFaliroFaliro is a seaside suburb 8 km southwest of downtown Athens. There are two communities sharing the name: Palaio and Neo Faliro. Palaio Faliro is a municipality, whereas Neo Faliro is part of the town of Piraeus...
The USS John Rodgers
USS John Rodgers (DD-574)
USS John Rodgers was a of the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship of that name, in honor of three members of the Rodgers family who served in the Navy from the War of 1812 through World War I...
was bought from the Mexican Navy by a Florida-based foundation, but is now derelict at a pier in the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, Mexico.
External links
- Fletcher-class destroyers at Destroyer History Foundation
- USS Conway's Official Website, Fletcher class
- Destroyers Online, Fletcher class
- USS Cassin Young website
- Fletcher-class facts, USS Bush website
- Complete Fletcher-class list and photos, USS Abbot website
- "German Navy Fletcher-Class, USS DD-515 Anthony. Pictures and History in English"
- A Sailor's Diary: Artwork, diaries, and letters from a sailor aboard the Fletcher class USS La Vallette