The Fletcher class is 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 of the and classes. Some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War.

The United States Navy (USN) commissioned 175 Fletcher-class destroyers between 1942 and 1944, more than any other destroyer class, and the design was generally regarded as highly successful. The Fletchers had a design speed of and a principal armament of five guns in single mounts with 10 torpedo tubes in two quintuple centerline mounts. The and classes were Fletcher derivatives.

The long-range Fletcher-class ships performed every task asked of a destroyer, from antisubmarine and antiaircraft warfare to surface action. They could cover the vast distances required by fleet actions in the Pacific and served almost exclusively in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II, during which they accounted for 29 Imperial Japanese Navy submarines sunk.

Fletcher ships were also much less top-heavy than previous classes, allowing them to take on additional equipment and weapons without major redesign. They were fortunate in catching American production at the right moment, becoming "the" destroyer design, with only the Fletcher-class derivatives, the and classes, following it. The answer that came back was that five dual-purpose guns, 12 torpedoes, and 28 depth charges would be ideal, while a return to the 1,500-ton designs of the past was seen as undesirable. Speed requirements varied from , and shortcomings in the earlier , which were top-heavy and needed lead ballast to correct this fault, caused the Fletcher design to be widened by of beam. As with other previous U.S. flush-deck destroyer designs, seagoing performance suffered. This was mitigated by deployment to the Pacific Ocean, which is relatively calm compared to the Atlantic.

To achieve 38 knots with a 500-ton increase in displacement, power was increased from compared to the previous and classes. The Fletcher ships featured air-encased boilers producing steam at and , with two 350 kW steam turbine-driven electrical generators and a 100 kW emergency diesel generator. Typically, Babcock & Wilcox boilers and General Electric geared steam turbines were equipped, although other designs and manufacturers were probably used to maximize the rate of production.

Armament

thumb|right|upright=1.5|127 mm MK 30 gun from a Fletcher-class destroyer (1942) Bundeswehr Military History Museum, Dresden

Main gun armament was five dual-purpose 5-inch/38 caliber (127 mm) guns in single Mk 30 turrets (numbered bow-to-stern from one to five), guided by a Mark 37 fire control system, including a Mk 12 fire control radar and a Mk 22 height-finder (replaced by the circular Mk 25 radar postwar) linked by a Mark 1A fire control computer and stabilized by a Mk 6, 8,500 rpm gyroscope.

Ten torpedo tubes were fitted in two quintuple mounts amidships, firing the 21-inch Mark 15 torpedo. Antisubmarine armament was two racks for depth charges at the stern and six K-gun 300-pound depth-charge throwers amidships.

AA armament initially was light, with a quadruple 1.1"/75 caliber gun located in an elevated tub between the number three and four 5-inch gun mounts and six Oerlikon 20 mm cannons (two in front of and below the bridge and four amidships). In June 1942, the 1.1" gun was replaced by a twin Bofors 40 mm gun mount; in some ships, another twin mount may have been added on the fantail between the depth-charge racks. In February 1943, the fantail-mounted Bofors was removed and one twin mount was placed on each side of the aft funnel, bringing the total number of 40 mm guns to six.

In 1942 and 1943, the number of Oerlikon cannons was steadily increased, with ships modified before leaving the shipyard with a seventh 20 mm mount in front of the bridge behind the number-two 5" gun mount and from one to three mounts on the flying bridge depending upon the configuration of the ship. In combat, commanders often requisitioned additional guns with some ships mounting up to thirteen 20 mm cannons. In June and July 1943, two more twin Bofors mounts were added in place of the 20 mm cannons in front of and below the bridge, giving ten 40 mm barrels. With this modification, the Oerlikon cannons were rearranged and their number was standardized at seven; four amidships and three in a heart-shaped mount on the fantail.

Due to the increasing threat from kamikaze attacks, beginning in July 1945, some ships returning to the United States for refits received further AA modifications. The forward set of torpedo tubes was removed, providing space to replace the two amidships twin 40 mm guns with two quadruple mountings (for a total of 14 guns). The seven single 20 mm guns were replaced with six twin mounts (four amidships and two on the fantail.

Three (, and ) were modified during construction by deleting the rear torpedo tube mount and the number-three 5-inch gun mount and putting an aircraft catapult in the space. This alteration was not a success and was not repeated. These three destroyers were later converted to the regular Fletcher-class configuration.

Service

thumb|Kamikaze damage to Newcomb following action off Okinawa, 1945

Nineteen Fletchers were lost during World War II; a further six more were severely damaged, evaluated as constructive total losses, and not repaired.

  • , scuttled after being torpedoed by the Japanese destroyer Yūgumo in the Naval Battle of Vella Lavella, 6 October 1943.
  • , sunk by land-based Japanese aircraft off Cape Gloucester, 26 December 1943
  • , sunk by gunfire from the Japanese battleships Yamato and Nagato and the heavy cruiser Haguro in the Battle off Samar, 25 October 1944.
  • , sunk by gunfire from the Japanese battleship Yamato, light cruiser Yahagi, and destroyers Yukikaze, Isokaze, Urakaze, and Nowaki in the Battle off Samar, 25 October 1944.
  • , sunk by kamikazes in Leyte Gulf, 1 November 1944
  • , foundered in Typhoon Cobra, 18 December 1944
  • , lost to a mine off Okinawa, 26 March 1945
  • , sunk by kamikazes off Okinawa, 6 April 1945
  • , sunk by kamikazes off Okinawa, 6 April 1945
  • , sunk by kamikazes off Okinawa, 16 April 1945
  • , sunk by kamikazes off Okinawa, 3 May 1945
  • , sunk by kamikazes off Okinawa, 4 May 1945
  • , sunk by kamikazes off Okinawa, 4 May 1945
  • , scuttled after running aground and receiving heavy shore fire south of Naha, Okinawa, 18 May 1945
  • , sunk by a kamikaze near miss off Okinawa, 10 June 1945
  • , sunk by kamikazes off Okinawa, 16 June 1945
  • , sunk by Yokosuka K5Y kamikaze biplanes off Okinawa, 28 July 1945
  • , damaged by kamikazes off Okinawa, 6 April 1945. Decommissioned, 20 November 1945. Sold for scrap, 28 March 1946.
  • , damaged by kamikazes off Okinawa, 6 April 1945. Decommissioned, 6 December 1945. Sold for scrap, 17 June 1947.
  • , damaged by a suicide boat off Okinawa, 27 April 1945. Decommissioned, 30 November 1945. Sold for scrap, January 1948.
  • , damaged by kamikazes off Okinawa, 29 April 1945. Decommissioned, 1 November 1945. Sold for scrap, 3 March 1946.
  • , damaged by kamikazes off Okinawa, 11 May 1945. Decommissioned, 7 November 1945. Sold for scrap, 11 February 1947.
  • , damaged by kamikazes off Okinawa, 20 May 1945. Decommissioned, 23 November 1945. Sold for scrap, 23 January 1948.

Korean War

With the outbreak of the Korean War, many were returned to active duty. During this time, 39 were refitted under project SCB 74A, reducing their overall main armament and the number of torpedo tubes to accommodate other weapons. A new ahead-throwing weapon called Weapon Alpha was installed in many of the ships. Others carried trainable Hedgehogs. Eighteen ships were redesignated as escort destroyers (DDE), optimized for antisubmarine warfare; these reverted to destroyer (DD) designation in 1962. The last Fletcher-class destroyer to be retired from USN service was the USS Ulhmann (DD-687), on July 15, 1972.

Other navies

Many of the ships were sold to other navies during the mid-1950s, including:

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

|+ Number of Fletcher-class destroyers sold to other navies

|-

! scope="col" | Country

! scope="col" | No. sold

|-

! scope="row" | Argentina

| data-sort-value="5" | 5 (see )

|-

! scope="row" | Brazil

| 7 (see )

|-

! scope="row" | Chile

| 2

|-

! scope="row" | Colombia

| 1

|-

! scope="row" | Greece

| 7

|-

! scope="row" | Italy

| data-sort-value="3" | 3 (see )

|-

! scope="row" | Japan

| 2 (see )

|-

! scope="row" | Mexico

| 2

|-

! scope="row" | Peru

| 2

|-

! scope="row" | South Korea

| data-sort-value="3" | 3 (see )

|-

! scope="row" | Spain

| data-sort-value="5" | 5 (see )

|-

! scope="row" | Republic of China (Taiwan)

| 4

|-

! scope="row" | Turkey

| 4

|-

! scope="row" | West Germany

| data-sort-value="6" | 6 (see )

|}

Any ships 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 ships stretched over almost six decades and into the 21st century.

Surviving ships

  • , in Buffalo, New York
  • , in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • , in Boston, Massachusetts
  • Velos (D16), ex USS Charrette, in Palaio Faliro, Greece

Surviving parts

  • , in National Museum of the United States Navy, Washington, D.C.
  • , in USS Orleck Naval Museum, Louisiana
  • , in the Veterans Memorial Museum in Chehalis, Washington and at Center House, Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.
  • , in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum, Virginia
  • , in National Museum of the Pacific War, Texas
  • USS Hailey (DD-556), on a naval base in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • , in Freedom Park, Omaha, Nebraska
  • , in Heritage Veterans Memorial Plaza, Texas
  • USS Izard (DD-589), in Ohio State University, Ohio
  • , aboard , in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • , in Columbia River Maritime Museum, Oregon
  • , aboard , in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • , in Freedom Park, Nebraska
  • Zerstörer 1 (D170) or Zerstörer 6 (D180), in Bundeswehr Military History Museum, Dresden
  • Zerstörer 6 (D180), in Marbeck-Heiden train station, Marbeck
  • , in Yuanzhiluxiuxian Park, Tainan City and Táinán jūn shǐ gōngyuán Park, Tainan City
  • , in Yongsan War Memorial, Seoul
  • TCG İçel (D-344), in Derince Naval Base, Kocaeli, Turkey.

Notes

In 2018, Kidd was used as the filming location for the fictional USS Keeling DD-548 (codenamed Greyhound), from C. S. Forester's novel The Good Shepherd, in her appearance in the book's 2020 cinematic adaptation, Greyhound.

On 14 April 2022, museum ship USS The Sullivans sank at her pier in the Buffalo Naval Park. The depth of water prevented complete sinking. Since then, the ship has been refloated and restoration of the ship's electric system and interior spaces is ongoing.

On 29 March 2023, the Museum of Antidictatorial Struggle HS Velos D-16 sustained damage caused by a storm while docked at Nea Paralia, Thessaloniki. Two tug boats were sent out to prevent further damage by holding her in place. After an investigation by the Ministry of Shipping, the damage was deemed non-threatening to the stability and durability of the ship. Similarly on 19 November 2023 strong gales caused its stern to slam onto the promenade of Nea Paralia resulting in the stern being breached. The day after repair operations began.

Ships in class

  • See List of Fletcher-class destroyers

See also

  • List of destroyer classes of the United States Navy

References

Bibliography

  • Fletcher-class destroyers at Destroyer History Foundation
  • Tin Can Sailors @ destroyers.org – Fletcher class destroyer
  • Destroyers Online, Fletcher class