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 USS Fletcher (DD-445) underway at sea, c. 1960s. |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Fletcher class destroyer |
| Operators: |  United States Navy Argentine Navy Brazilian Navy Chilean Navy Colombian Navy Greek Navy Italian Navy JMSDF Mexican Navy Peruvian Navy ROKN Spanish Navy ROCN Turkish Navy West German Navy |
| Preceded by: | Gleaves class destroyer |
| Succeeded by: | Allen M. Sumner class destroyer |
| In commission: | 30 June 1942 |
| Completed: | 175 |
| Lost: | 25 |
| Preserved: | USS Cassin Young (DD-793) USS The Sullivans (DD-537) USS Kidd (DD-661) HNS Velos (D-16) |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Destroyer |
| Displacement: | 2,050 tons (standard); 2,500 tons (full load) |
| Length: | 376.5 ft (114.8 m) |
| Beam: | 39.5 ft (12.0 m) |
| Draft: | 12.5 ft (3.8 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 Babcock & Wilcox oil fired boilers; 2 General Electric geared steam turbines; 2 screws; =60,000shp |
| Speed: | 36.5 knots (67.6 km/h) |
| Range: | 5,500 miles at 15 knots (8,850 km at 28 km/h) [1] |
| Complement: | 329 officers and men |
| Armament: | • 5 × 5 in (127 mm) guns, • 6–10 × 40 mm AA guns (early ships carried 4 × 1.1 in guns), • 7–10 × 20 mm AA guns, • 10 × 21" (533 mm) torpedo tubes (2×5), • 6 × K-guns, • 2 × depth charge racks |
The United States Navy commissioned 175 Fletcher-class destroyers between 1942 and 1944. They were built by shipyards across the United States for service in World War II, and some served during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War. Ironically, 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. Several others were cancelled prior to being laid down.
The Fletcher class (named for Admiral Frank F. Fletcher) 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 (AA) 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 AA weaponry 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 tubes 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 was not a success in service and was not repeated, and they were later converted to normal 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 hedgehogs.
Many of the ships were sold to other navies during the mid 1950s, including:
- Argentina: 5
- Brazil: 7
- Chile: 2
- Colombia: 1
- Greece: 6
- Italy: 3
- Japan: 2
- Mexico: 2
- Peru: 2
- South Korea: 3
- Spain: 5
- Taiwan: 4
- Turkey: 4
- West Germany: 6
Any remaining were broken up in the 1970s. The last Fletcher in service, BAM Cuitlahuac (ex-John Rodgers), left the Mexican navy in 2002, meaning the total service life of the Fletchers stretched into the 21st century.[2]
Four ships have been preserved as museum ships:
- USS Cassin Young (DD-793), in Boston, Massachusetts
- USS The Sullivans (DD-537), in Buffalo, New York
- USS Kidd (DD-661), in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- AT (Destroyer of Hellenic Navy) Velos (D-16) former USS Charrette (DD-581) in Faliro, Greece
The USS John Rodgers has also been bought from the Mexican Navy and will be brought to the U.S. and restored as a museum.
The Allen M. Sumner- and Gearing-classes were derivatives of Fletcher.
Ship Layout
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| CMC: | Command and Control | PH: | Pilot House |
| CIC: | Combat Information Center | ER: | Engine Room |
| 5: | 5"/38 guns, (#1 - 5) | IC&P: | Interior Communications & Plot |
| HR: | Ammunition Handling Room | DC: | Depth Charges (not pictured) |
| EQ: | Enlisted Quarters | BR: | Boiler Room |
| M: | Magazine | 40: | 40 MM AA Guns |
| OQ: | Officers' Quarters | G: | Galley |
| W: | Wardroom | L: | Laundry |
| CM: | Crews' Mess | T: | Torpedo tubes |
| FO: | Fuel Oil | MSP: | Medical Stores and Electrical |
Notes
- ^ "USS BUSH-FLETCHER CLASS". USS Bush-Fletcher Class. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
- ^ destroyerhistory.org: Fletcher class
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
- "German Navy Fletcher-Class, USS DD-515 Anthony. Pictures and History in English"
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 20 July 2008, at 18:35.
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