The Benham class of ten destroyers was built for the United States Navy (USN). They were part of a series of USN destroyers limited to 1,500 tons standard displacement by the London Naval Treaty and built in the 1930s. The class was laid down in 1936–1937 and all were commissioned in 1939. Much of their design was based on the immediately preceding and s. Like these classes, the Benhams were notable for including sixteen torpedo tubes, the heaviest torpedo armament ever on US destroyers. They introduced a new high-pressure boiler that saved space and weight, as only three of the new boilers were required compared to four of the older designs.
The class served extensively in World War II in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific theaters, including Neutrality Patrols in the Atlantic 1940–1941. Sterett received the United States Presidential Unit Citation for the Battle of Guadalcanal and the Battle of Vella Gulf, and the Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation for her World War II service. Two of the class were lost during World War II, three were scrapped in 1947, while the remaining five ships were scuttled after being contaminated from the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.
Design
The ten Benhams were part of a series of three classes with similar characteristics laid down 1935-1937. The other two were the Gridley class (4 ships) and the Bagley class (8 ships). All three featured four dual purpose guns (anti-surface and anti-aircraft) and sixteen torpedo tubes in four quadruple mounts as built, the largest number of torpedo tubes on any US destroyers.
Engineering
Except for the 1850-ton , the Benhams' propulsion plant was the most advanced yet installed in US destroyers. A new Babcock & Wilcox boiler design was used that allowed a reduction from four boilers to three, saving considerable space and weight. Steam pressure was increased from to (one reference says 565 psi), superheated to as in the Gridleys. Features that improved fuel economy included boiler economizers, double reduction gearing, and cruising turbines. Range was somewhat less than in the Bagleys at versus , possibly due to a smaller fuel capacity of 484 tons versus 504 tons. The main turbines developed on Benhams trials and were manufactured by Westinghouse.
Armament
The Benhams had the same armament as the Gridleys and Bagleys: four 5-inch/38 caliber dual purpose guns (anti-surface and anti-aircraft (AA)) in single mounts and sixteen 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes in quadruple mounts. This was the heaviest armament in torpedoes ever on US destroyers. Compared with the Mahans, they sacrificed one gun for four additional torpedo tubes. It was suggested that these ships could use "curved ahead fire", using the adjustable post-launch gyro angle of their torpedoes to launch a sixteen-torpedo spread ahead of the ship.
As with most other US destroyers of this period, the 5-inch guns featured all-angle power loading and were director controlled, making them as effective as the technology allowed against aircraft. By late 1942, radio proximity fuses (VT fuses) made them much more effective. As in the last two Maurys, the two forward 5-inch guns were in enclosed mounts, while the after guns were open. However, in the Benhams, the after two mounts were a Mark 30 Mod 1 base-ring type with an integral ammunition hoist fed from a handling room below each gun, as in an enclosed mount. This allowed some of the class to be fitted with an enclosure for No. 4 gun and an open-top shield for No. 3 gun while on Neutrality Patrol in the Atlantic in 1941; but the shields were removed later to save weight for light anti-aircraft armament. In common with all US surface combatants in the 1930s, the as-built light AA armament was weak; only four .50 caliber machine guns (12.7 mm) were equipped. It was apparently felt that the heavy AA armament would shoot down most incoming aircraft in all situations, but the attack on Pearl Harbor showed that this was not true.
While on Neutrality Patrol, some of the class landed their after torpedo tube mounts and .50-caliber machine guns so that their Depth charge and light AA batteries could be increased; photographs show six Oerlikon 20 mm cannon were added along with four K-gun depth charge throwers and, reportedly, a Y-gun on some ships. These ships later received two twin 40 mm Bofors mounts on their after deckhouses before being transferred to the Pacific. In 1945, Lang, Sterett, and Wilson also landed their remaining torpedo tubes and after 5-inch gun shields in favor of a total of four 40 mm twin mounts and four 20 mm twin mounts.
Service
This class, except Benham and Ellet, served on Neutrality Patrols in the Atlantic and escort duty in the Atlantic and Mediterranean as Destroyer Squadron 8 (with as flagship) from April 1940 to December 1941. Benham and Ellet were at sea in the Pacific on 7 December 1941 with and of the Mahan class as Destroyer Division (DesDiv) 12 (part of Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 6, with as flagship). Later, this four-ship division escorted the aircraft carrier during the Doolittle Raid on Japan.
|-
! scope="row" |
! scope="row" | DD-398
| 3 December 1936
| 11 June 1938
| 17 February 1939
| 29 October 1945
| data-sort-value="1 August 1947" | Sold for scrap 1 August 1947
|-
! scope="row" |
! scope="row" | DD-399
| 5 April 1937
| 28 August 1938
| 30 March 1939
| 16 October 1945
| data-sort-value="31 October 1947" | Sold for scrap 31 October 1947
|-
! scope="row" |
! scope="row" | DD-402
| rowspan=2 | Boston Navy Yard
| rowspan=2 | 15 April 1937
| rowspan=2 | 14 May 1938
| 13 September 1939
| 28 August 1946
| data-sort-value="4 April 1948" | Damaged during Operation Crossroads atomic tests at Bikini Atoll, July 1946. Scuttled off Kwajalein, 4 April 1948
|-
! scope="row" |
! scope="row" | DD-403
| 1 November 1939
| 28 August 1946
| data-sort-value="3 February 1948" | Damaged during Operation Crossroads atomic tests at Bikini Atoll, July 1946. Scuttled off Kwajalein, 3 February 1948
|-
! scope="row" |
! scope="row" | DD-404
| Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
| 22 September 1937
| 28 July 1938
| 10 November 1939
| 26 August 1946
| data-sort-value="22 March 1948" | Damaged during Operation Crossroads atomic tests at Bikini Atoll, July 1946. Scuttled off Kwajalein, 22 March 1948
|-
! scope="row" |
! scope="row" | DD-405
| rowspan=2 | Norfolk Navy Yard
| rowspan=2 | 25 June 1937
| rowspan=2 | 5 May 1938
| 23 September 1939
|
| data-sort-value="11 September 1943" | Torpedoed by German E-boats while on convoy duty between Salerno and Oran 11 September 1943
|-
! scope="row" |
! scope="row" | DD-406
| 20 November 1939
| 29 August 1946
| data-sort-value="24 April 1948" | Damaged during Operation Crossroads atomic tests at Bikini Atoll, July 1946. Sunk as target off Kwajalein, 24 April 1948
|-
! scope="row" |
! scope="row" | DD-407
| Charleston Navy Yard
| 2 December 1936
| 27 October 1938
| 15 August 1939
| 2 November 1945
| data-sort-value="10 August 1947" | Sold for scrap 10 August 1947
|-
! scope="row" |
! scope="row" | DD-408
| Puget Sound Navy Yard
| 22 March 1937
| 12 April 1939
| 5 July 1939
| 29 August 1946
| data-sort-value="8 March 1948" | Damaged during Operation Crossroads atomic tests at Bikini Atoll, July 1946. Scuttled off Kwajalein, 8 March 1948
|}
See also
- List of destroyer classes of the United States Navy
- List of United States Navy losses in World War II
- List of ship classes of World War II
References
Citations
Sources
External links
- Benham-class destroyers at Destroyer History Foundation
- Benham class at DestroyersOnline.com
- Tin Can Sailors @ Destroyers.org - Benham class destroyer
- "Goldplater" destroyers at Destroyer History Foundation
- Comparison of 1500-ton classes at Destroyer History Foundation
- USS Benham, USS Ellet, and USS Lang General Information Book with as-built data at Destroyer History Foundation
- Photo gallery of USS Benham at NavSource
- NavSource Destroyer Photo Index Page