Wickes-class destroyer

Wickes-class destroyer
Name	Wickes-class destroyer
Caption	USS Conyngham in 1918
Builders	Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation; William Cramp & Sons; Fore River Shipyard; Union Iron Works; New York Shipbuilding; Bath Iron Works
Built	1917–1919
In service	1918–1945
Total	111
Displacement	1,154 long tons (standard)
Length	314 ft 4 in (95.8 m)
Beam	30 ft 11 in (9.4 m)
Draught	9 ft 2 in (2.8 m)
Propulsion	4 Yarrow or Parsons boilers; 2 direct-drive steam turbines
Speed	35 knots
Complement	100 officers and enlisted
Armament	4 × 4 in (102 mm) guns; 12 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes; depth charges

Wickes-class destroyer was a class of 111 United States Navy destroyers built for service during and after World War I. Designed for high speed and heavy torpedo armament, the class reflected lessons from the Battle of Jutland and anticipated operations with the British Royal Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy. Although hurried construction produced engines and endurance problems, many ships later served through World War II after conversions and transfers under programs such as the Destroyers for Bases Agreement.

Design and development

The class originated from specifications issued by the United States Navy Bureau of Construction and Repair following the HMS Queen Mary era influence and reports from the Naval War College. Designers, including engineers at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation and yard designers from Fore River Shipyard, emphasized 35-knot speed to counter Imperial German Navy torpedo craft and to operate with battle fleets such as the Grand Fleet. Drawing on precedents set by the Cassin-class destroyer and O’Brien-class destroyer, the Wickes design increased boiler and turbine power while expanding torpedo battery size to match doctrine advocated by officers like Admiral Hilary P. Jones. The resulting ships featured four 4-inch guns and a dozen 21-inch torpedo tubes, though compromises in fuel capacity affected range, a point debated at hearings before the House Committee on Naval Affairs.

Construction and production

Built rapidly between 1917 and 1919, hulls were produced at yards including Bath Iron Works, William Cramp & Sons, Union Iron Works, and New York Shipbuilding Corporation. Contracts were awarded under wartime appropriations signed by President Woodrow Wilson and overseen by Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels. Production used standardization initiatives similar to those applied in the Liberty ship era, yet variations among builders produced two major boiler-turbine subclasses often described by historians from Naval History and Heritage Command. Evolving industrial logistics involved suppliers such as General Electric and Westinghouse Electric Corporation, while labor disputes occasionally drew testimony before the War Labor Board.

Service history

Commissioned into the United States Navy during the final months of World War I, Wickes-class ships performed convoy escort, patrol, and fleet screening duties in the Atlantic Ocean and along the Eastern Seaboard. After the Washington Naval Treaty, many were placed in reserve at bases like Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Station San Diego. With rising tensions in the 1930s, several were modernized and recommissioned for neutrality patrols related to the Spanish Civil War and Pan-American conferences. Under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement between United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt and United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 50 ships were transferred to the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy, where they were renamed and used in the Battle of the Atlantic alongside escorts from Ministry of War Transport convoys. During World War II, remaining US hulls served in training, escort, and converted roles including high-speed transports and seaplane tenders supporting operations in theaters associated with Admiral Ernest King and Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.

Technical specifications

Standard displacement was approximately 1,154 long tons with full-load displacements varying by refit. Hull dimensions matched contemporary destroyer practice influenced by Fletcher-class destroyer antecedents. Propulsion comprised steam turbines fed by Yarrow or Thornycroft boilers driving two shafts, producing up to 27,000 shp for 35 knots; reliability varied between units produced at Bethlehem Shipbuilding and Bath Iron Works. Original armament included four 4-inch/50 caliber guns and twelve 21-inch torpedo tubes in four triple mounts, supplemented later with depth charge tracks and hedgehog-style anti-submarine weapons developed by Admiralty Research Establishment-influenced programs. Crew complements typically numbered around 100, with wartime increases for convoy and anti-submarine duties under commands appointed via promotion boards chaired by flag officers such as Admiral Robert E. Coontz.

Variants and conversions

Due to changing operational needs, numerous conversions were performed: some hulls became high-speed transports (APD) supporting Amphibious warfare landings in the Pacific Theater including operations coordinated with commanders like Douglas MacArthur and Holland M. Smith; others were converted to seaplane tenders (AVD) to support patrol squadrons such as Patrol Squadron 10 (VP-10). Transferred units served in the Royal Navy as Town-class destroyers with new pennant numbers and modified anti-submarine armament influenced by tactics developed at Western Approaches Tactical Unit. Several were employed as experimental platforms for sonar and radar installations pioneered by researchers at Harvard Radio Research Laboratory and the MIT Radiation Laboratory.

Losses and survivals

Combat losses occurred in both world wars: some transferred ships were sunk by German U-boat torpedoes during the Battle of the Atlantic, others were lost to air attack in the Mediterranean Sea and Pacific operations such as the Battle of Savo Island. Interwar accidents, including collisions near St. Lawrence River and grounding incidents off Cape Cod, also reduced numbers. A minority survive as museum ships or wrecks visited by divers at sites like Scapa Flow and Point Reyes National Seashore; surviving artifacts and preserved components are curated by institutions including the Naval History and Heritage Command and regional museums such as the USS Constitution Museum.

Category:Destroyer classes