US Flush Deck Destroyers in action Warships No 19 by Al Adcock Soft Cover

Description: RailroadTreasures offers the following item: US Flush Deck Destroyers in action Warships No 19 by Al Adcock Soft Cover US Flush Deck Destroyers in action Warships No 19 by Al Adcock Squadron / signal publications Soft Cover 49 pages Copyright 2003 CONTENTS Introduction Sampson Class (DD-63 to DD-68) Development Caldwell Class (DD-69 to DD-74) Wickes Class (DD-75 to DD-185) Clemson Class (DD-186 to DD-347) USS Paul Jones (DD-230) Specifications Lend Lease to Britain Light Minelayer (DM) Conversions High Speed Minesweeper (DMS) Conversions Seaplane Tender (AVP/AVD) Conversions Fast Attack Transport (APD) Conversions INTRODUCTION The US Navy's 'flush deck' destroyers built during and just after World War One were outdated and ready for the scrapper's torch by the beginning of World War Two. Nonetheless, they were pressed into service and all performed up to expectations. These vessels served the US Navy, the British Royal Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal New Zealand Navy, the Soviet Navy, and one even served with the Imperial Japanese Navy. Destroyers were first conceived as a larger version of the late 19th Century torpedo boat. The torpedo boat was designed to carry and launch the new self-propelled underwater torpedo that had been developed in England and adopted by the United States. The original torpedo boats were small, with most displacing under 150 tons (136 MT), and they were armed with a pair of torpedo tubes. They were coal fired and their speed of 25 knots (29 MPI-1146 KMH) was considerably faster than most ships of the time. The introduction of torpedo boats with their torpedoes marked the first time that a small ship was capable of sinking a much larger vessel. The original destroyers were designed as ocean escorts and therefore had to have the range and speed to keep up with the fleet. Ocean escort duties included both scouting and barrier defense roles. Fuel was the major obstacle, since coal was the chosen fuel and it was both heavy and it took up quite an amount of space. It was not until the introduction of the PAULD-ING (DD-22) Class of 1910 that oil became the destroyers' primary fuel. The first US Navy destroyer was USS BAINBRIDGE (DD-1, ex-CTB-8), which was launched from the Neafie and Levy Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 27 August 1901. She was 249 feet 9.875 inches (76.1 M) long, displaced 420 tons (381 MT), and was armed with two 18-inch (457MM) torpedo tubes and a pair of 3-inch (76mm) guns. Two Thornycroft boilers and Vertical Triple Expansion (VTE)1 engines turned BAINBRIDGE' s twin screws. Her speed of over 25 knots (29 MPH/46 KMI-I) was fast enough to keep up with any ship in the US Fleet. She carried 230 tons (209 MT) of coal for a range of approximately 3000 miles (4828 KM) at cruising speed. BAINBRIDGE and her four sisters (DD-1 through DD-5) except CHAUNCEY (DD-3) were stationed at Cavite, the Philippines. CHAUNCEY (DD-3) was sunk in a collision with the steamship SS ROSE on 19 November 1917, but the other four ships remained in service until withdrawn from use in 1920. The BAINBRIDGE Class was redesigned into a quartet of improved 400-ton (363 MT) destroyer classes. These were the HOPKINS (DD-6, two ships), LAWRENCE (DD-8, two ships), PAUL JONES (DD-10, three ships), and STEWART (DD-13, four ships) Classes. They all served until they were scrapped in 1920. These early destroyers were nicknamed `flivvers,' referring to the Ford Motor Company's Model T automobile. The Model T was called a 'tin can on wheels;' thus, the name 'fin can' was used to describe an early destroyer. The destroyer sailors became known as 'fin can sailors,' a name that all destroyer men carry with great pride. The five-ship SMITH (DD-17) Class of 1909 was the US Navy's first truly sea-worthy destroyer. These 293 foot 10 1/2 inch (89.6 M) long ships introduced a high forecastle for improved performance in rough seas and displacement was raised from 400 tons to 700 tons (635 MT). Four Mosher boilers provided steam to the 10,000 horsepower (HP) Parsons three-shaft turbines on each vessel. Speed was rated at 28 knots (32 MPH/52 KMH) and their range amounted to some 2800 miles (4506 KM) at ten knots (12 MPH/19 KMH). Armament was five 3-inch guns and three 18-inch single torpedo tubes. The SMITH Class served until 1919, following the First World War, when they were sold for scrap. The PAULDING (DD-22) Class of 1910 were the first US destroyers to use oil for fuel. Oil had the advantage of providing a hotter fire for the boilers and increasing range with less volume. Also the need to sail between coaling stations was eliminated, thus increasing their time on station. The ten PAULDINGs also introduced the new twin 18-inch torpedo launcher, with each vessel carrying three launchers. Their armament also included five 3-inch guns. The PAULDING Class served until they were broken up in 1934 to comply with the London Naval Treaty of 1930. The MONAGHAN (DD-32) Class of 1911 were repeats of the earlier PAULDING Class, with eleven ships being completed by 1912. The eight-ship CASSIN (DD-43) Class were the first 1000 ton (907 MT) destroyers with length increasing to 300 feet (91 M). Most of these vessels were armed with four 3-inch guns except CASSIN and CUMMINGS (DD-44), which carried only three of the 3-inch weapons. CASSIN Class ships were also fitted with four of the twin 18-inch torpedo tubes. The six O'BRIEN (DD-51) Class destroyers were improved CASSINs with the addition of the new 21-inch (533mm) triple torpedo tubes. Like the earlier PAULDINGs, they were broken up in the mid-1930s to comply with the London Naval Treaty. The TUCKER (DD-57) Class of six ships were the first US destroyers to introduce anti-aircraft armament and the ability to lay mines. Two 1-pounder (37mm) guns were installed to counter the new aircraft threat and 36 mines could be carried and dropped off the stern. WADSWORTH (DD-60) was fitted with the first US geared turbine in a destroyer. JACOB JONES (DD-61) became the only US destroyer to be lost to enemy action during the First World War when she was sunk off Start Point, Scillies by the German submarine U-532 on 6 December 1917. Following the end of the First World War on 11 November 1918, the US Navy placed most of the early destroyers into a reserve fleet to await their fate. All of the coal fired ships were disposed of by 1921, since the US Navy had basically closed its coaling stations. The oil fired ships lasted until they were scrapped in the mid-1930s. During the First World War, destroyers and other US warships were painted in various disruptive camouflage schemes. These schemes were called 'piebald' or 'splinter' and they were designed to confuse the enemy observer. The paint schemes consisted of blues and grays and they were utilized until the end of the war. Before the war, most destroyers were painted in either black or dark gray, with the thinking being that the darker colors would hide the ship at night. Tests in 1940 disproved that theory. Following World War One, US ships were painted in what has been called 'peace time gray,' a light gray color (approximately FS36320). Camouflage colors were reintroduced at the beginning of the Second World War, with much the same colors in new patterns. The early destroyers did not carry hull (pennant) numbers; they were not introduced until the end of the First World War. They were first painted on either the bridge wings or on the hull below the bridge, so as not to be conspicuous. In the mid-1920s, large white hull numbers with black shading were painted on the bow. These large numbers were eliminated for security reasons in 1940, as the US neared active participation in World War Two. The first of the major 'flush deck' destroyers the so-called 'liberty' destroyers were launched in 1917. They were built in two classes named WICKES (DD-75) and CLEMSON (DD-186). These vessels were designed as ocean escorts with a speed to keep up with the fastest of battle cruisers then in the design stage. Almost 300 of the WICKES and CLEMSON Classes were constructed and launched between 1916 and 1920. Those that survived scrapping in the mid-1930s went on to serve in the Second World War not only as destroyers (DDs), but also in other roles. These included high-speed light mine layers (DMs), high-speed minesweepers (DMSs), light seaplane tenders (AVPs and AVDs), and high-speed attack transports (APDs). All pictures are of the actual item. There may be reflection from the lights in some photos. We try to take photos of any damage. 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Price: 40 USD

Location: Talbott, Tennessee

End Time: 2025-01-21T14:32:34.000Z

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