Somers-class destroyer

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USS Somers in 1944
Class overview
NameSomers class
Builders
Operators United States Navy
Preceded byBagley class
Succeeded byBenham class
Built1935–1939
In commission1937–1945
Completed5
Lost1
Retired4
General characteristics
TypeDestroyer
Displacement
  • 1,840 tons standard,
  • 2,767 tons full load
Length381 ft (116 m)
Beam36 ft 2 in (11.02 m)
Draft10 ft 4 in (3.15 m)
Installed power
Propulsion2 shafts
Speed36 kn (67 km/h; 41 mph) design, 38.6 kn (71.5 km/h; 44.4 mph) trials
Range7,020 nmi (13,000 km; 8,080 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement
  • 10 officers, 225 enlisted (peacetime)
  • 16 officers, 278 enlisted (wartime)
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament
NotesArmament varied greatly from ship to ship during World War II.

The Somers-class destroyer was a class of five 1850-ton

standard displacement allowed by the tonnage limits of the London Naval Treaty, and were originally intended to be repeat Porters. However, new high-pressure, high-temperature boilers became available, allowing the use of a single stack. This combined with weight savings (including elimination of reload torpedoes) allowed an increase from two quadruple center-line torpedo tube mounts to three. However, the Somers class were still over-weight and top-heavy.[2] This was the first US destroyer class to use 600 psi (4,100 kPa) steam superheated to 850 °F (454 °C),[3] which became standard for US warships built in the late 1930s and World War II.[4]

Like the Porters, they were originally built with eight

20 mm Oerlikon guns and the torpedo armament reduced to eight tubes.[4] In two ships (Davis and Jouett) the torpedo armament was eliminated to maximize the number of 40 mm guns.[6]

All of the class served in World War II, initially on

Bahamas in September 1944. The others escorted convoys for the remainder of the war, and were scrapped by 1947.[7]

Design

The five Somers class were built to round out the eight Porter-class 1850-ton destroyers to the London Naval Treaty tonnage limit of thirteen such ships, and were originally intended to be repeat Porters. However, controversial (for the time) high-pressure, high-temperature air-encased boilers derived from the ones installed in the modernized battleship New Mexico became available, and the class was built to a modified design by Gibbs & Cox. The new boilers allowed the use of a single stack. This combined with weight savings (including elimination of reload torpedoes) allowed an increase from two quadruple centerline torpedo tube mounts to three (versus the Porters). However, the Somers class were still over-weight and top-heavy.[2] The resulting broadside of twelve torpedo tubes was the heaviest ever on a US destroyer; other classes (Gridley, Bagley, and Benham) with sixteen torpedo tubes had an eight-tube broadside.[4] Gun armament remained the same as the Porters, with eight 5-inch/38 caliber single purpose (anti-surface only) guns in four twin mounts.[5] Two quadruple 1.1-inch machine cannon mounts were added to compensate for the lack of main battery anti-aircraft capability.

Engineering

The Somers-class propulsion plant was the most advanced yet installed in a US Navy destroyer. Compared with the Porters, four Babcock & Wilcox boilers of a new air-encased design raised the design horsepower from 50,000 shaft horsepower (37,000 kW) to 52,000 shaft horsepower (39,000 kW). Steam conditions rose to 600 psi (4,100 kPa), superheated to 850 °F (454 °C) for the first time;[3] this became standard for US warships built in the late 1930s and World War II.[4] Boiler economizers were included for improved fuel efficiency. The main steam turbines were impulse-type (also called Curtis turbines) and included cruising turbines and double-reduction gearing.[8] This increased the ships' range from 6,380 nautical miles (11,820 km; 7,340 mi) to 7,020 nautical miles (13,000 km; 8,080 mi).[3]

Armament

USS Davis in 1945, with five dual-purpose 5-inch guns

Like the Porters, the Somers class were originally built with eight

K-gun depth charge throwers were added to augment the as-built pair of depth charge racks. In Davis and Jouett the main armament was replaced by five dual-purpose guns in two twin and one single mount.[4] Later in these two, the torpedo armament was eliminated along with two K-guns and one depth charge rack to maximize the number of 40 mm guns at 14, placed in two quad mounts and three twin mounts.[6]

Service

In 1941, all of the class were based in the

Free French warships Richelieu and Montcalm from Dakar, Senegal
to the United States.

In May 1944 all of the class were transferred to the North Atlantic as part of the buildup for the

Mediterranean. Following the war, all were scrapped by 1947.[7]

Ships in class

Ships of the Somers destroyer class[4]
Name Hull no. Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Decommissioned Fate
Somers DD-381 Federal Shipbuilding, Kearny, New Jersey 27 June 1935 13 March 1937 1 December 1937 28 October 1945 Sold for scrap 1947
Warrington DD-383 10 October 1935 15 May 1937 9 February 1938 — Lost in a
Bahamas
, 13 September 1944
Sampson DD-394 Bath Iron Works 8 April 1936 16 April 1938 19 August 1938 1 November 1945 Sold for scrap 1946
Davis DD-395 28 July 1936 30 July 1938 9 November 1938 19 October 1945 Sold for scrap 1947
Jouett DD-396 26 March 1936 24 September 1938 25 January 1939 1 November 1945 Sold for scrap 1946

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Somers class destroyers.

References

Citations

  1. ^ Friedman p. 404
  2. ^ a b Friedman, pp. 84–86
  3. ^ a b c Friedman, pp. 464–465
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Bauer and Roberts, pp. 186–187
  5. ^ a b c "DiGiulian, Tony, 5"/38 (12.7 cm) Mark 12 at NavWeaps.com". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  6. ^ a b Friedman, p. 219
  7. ^ a b Somers-class destroyers at Destroyer History Foundation
  8. ^ USS Somers and USS Warrington General Information Book with as-built data at Destroyer History Foundation
  9. ^ "Torpedo History: Torpedo Mk 15". Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2015.

Sources

External links

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