Tucker-class destroyer
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Tucker-class destroyer |
Builders |
|
Operators | |
Preceded by | O'Brien class |
Succeeded by | Sampson class |
Built | 1914–1916 |
In commission |
|
Planned | 6 |
Completed | 6 |
Lost | 1 |
Retired | 5 |
Scrapped | 5 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Destroyer |
Displacement | |
Length | 315 ft 3 in (96.09 m) (oa) |
Beam | 30 ft 6 in (9.30 m) [DD-57, -60, -62: 29 ft 11 in][1] |
Draft | |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 29.5 knots (54.6 km/h) |
Endurance | 2,500 nautical miles at 20 knots (4,600 km at 37 km/h)[3] |
Complement | 99 |
Armament |
|
The Tucker class of destroyers was a ship class of six ships designed by and built for the United States Navy shortly before the United States entered World War I. The Tucker class was the fourth of five classes of destroyers that were known as the "thousand tonners", because they were the first U.S. destroyers over 1,000 long tons (1,016 t) displacement.
The design of what became the Tucker class was the result of compromises between the General Board of the United States Navy and the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Construction and Repair. The General Board, tasked with creating an integrated battle fleet, wanted a larger ship that could serve in a scouting role and proposed a ship larger than the unique British destroyer HMS Swift of 1907, and more than twice the displacement of any previous U.S. destroyer. Input from Construction and Repair resulted in a design that was an incremental development of the O'Brien class, which itself was similar to the first of the thousand tonners, the Cassin class (which displaced about a third more than the preceding Paulding class).
The ships were built by four private American shipyards—
All six ships operated in the Atlantic or Caribbean until the U.S. entrance into World War I in April 1917, when all six were sent overseas to
Background
In September 1912, the
The General Board, whose main concern was the integrated operation of the United States battle fleet,[5] pushed for the design to provide more scouting capabilities for fleet operations.[6] But the high cost of the design—$1,900,000 for hull and machinery vs. $790,000 for the O'Brien-class ships—and the lack of operating experience with the Cassin class[1]—the first of the "thousand tonners" (destroyers exceeding 1,000 long tons (1,020 t) displacement) which were just beginning to be launched—caused C&R to resist the much larger design.[4] The Chief Constructor of the Navy, the head of C&R, pointed out that the British had not repeated the Swift design in the five years since her introduction, and noted that "a destroyer that gets too large loses many of the desirable features of the type".[4]
In November 1912, the General Board offered several alternatives to reduce the size of the destroyer, and was convinced by C&R that the most practical solution was a design that shared much with the O'Brien class: matching that class' main battery and torpedo load but with a design speed of 29.5 knots (54.6 km/h) and the desired 2,500-nautical-mile (4,600 km) steaming radius. The General Board also specified that the ships be equipped with "two aeroplane guns, if they can be developed and installed", have provisions for laying thirty-six mines, and a strengthened bow for
Design
As built, the Tucker-class ships were 315 feet 3 inches (96.09 m) in length (
The ships were equipped with two
The main
The Tucker class was also equipped with four twin 21-inch (533 mm)
Comparisons with other "thousand tonners"
The "thousand tonners" were the 26 United States Navy destroyers of five classes—Cassin, Aylwin, O'Brien, Tucker, and Sampson—so named because they were the first U.S. Navy destroyers to have displacements greater than 1,000 long tons.[11][Note 4] The Cassin class, the first of the thousand tonners, displaced about a third more than the preceding Paulding class.[11] The introduction of the thousand tonners led to the Pauldings and other older, smaller displacement destroyers of previous classes to be dismissively called "flivvers",[7] a nickname also commonly applied to the Ford Model T.[12][Note 5]
The Tucker class was the fourth of the five classes of "thousand tonners". The earlier Cassin- (DD-43 to DD-46), Aylwin- (DD-47 to DD-50) and O'Brien-class (DD-51 to DD-56) ships were about 10 feet (3.0 m) shorter than the Tucker ships and had a lower displacement, between 40 and 80 long tons (41 and 81 t) less than the median displacement of the Tuckers; the later Sampson-class (DD-63 to DD-68) ships were the same length and displaced 10 long tons (10 t) more. All five classes were armed with four 4-inch (102 mm) guns, but the torpedo size and complement varied. All were equipped with four twin
Construction
The construction of the six Tucker-class ships was allocated to four U.S. shipbuilders. The
Ships in class
All six members of the class served in the Atlantic throughout their U.S. Navy careers, and all were sent overseas to
Between 1924 and 1926, four of the five ships—Conyngham and Porter in 1924, Tucker and Wainwright in 1926—were reactivated for service with the United States Coast Guard's "Rum Patrol". All were returned to the U.S. Navy in 1933 with the exception of Tucker, which followed in 1934. Conyngham, Porter, and Wainwright were sold for scrapping in 1934; the other two in 1936.[2]
USS Tucker (DD-57)
USS Tucker (DD-57), the
After her April 1916
Upon returning to the United States near the end of 1918, Tucker underwent repairs at the
USS Conyngham (DD-58)
USS Conyngham (DD-58) was laid down by the
After her January 1916 commissioning, Conyngham sailed off the east coast and in the Caribbean. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Conyngham was part of the first U.S. destroyer squadron sent overseas. Patrolling the Irish Sea out of Queenstown, Ireland, Conyngham made several rescues of passengers and crew from ships sunk by U-boats. Conyngham's commander was commended for actions related to what was thought at the time to be a "probable" kill of a German submarine.[15]
Upon returning to the United States in December 1918, Conyngham underwent repairs at the Boston Navy Yard. She remained there in reduced commission through 1921, with only brief episodes of activity. After returning to active service for about a year, she was decommissioned in June 1922. In June 1924, Conyngham was transferred to the United States Coast Guard to help enforce Prohibition as a part of the "Rum Patrol". She operated under the name USCGC Conyngham (CG-2) until 1933, when she was returned to the Navy. Later that year, the ship was renamed DD-58 to free the name Conyngham for another destroyer. She was sold for scrap in August 1934.[15]
USS Porter (DD-59)
USS Porter (DD-59) was laid down by the William Cramp & Sons of Philadelphia in August 1914 and launched in August of the following year. She was the second U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of both David Porter and his son David Dixon Porter.
After her April 1916 commissioning, Porter conducted her shakedown cruise in the Caribbean. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Porter was part of the first U.S. destroyer squadron sent overseas. Patrolling the Irish Sea out of Queenstown, Ireland, Porter severely damaged the German submarine U-108 in April 1918.[18]
Upon returning to the United States after the war, Porter operated off the east coast until she was decommissioned in June 1922. In June 1924, Porter was transferred to the United States Coast Guard to help enforce Prohibition as a part of the "Rum Patrol". She operated under the name USCGC Porter (CG-7) until 1933, when she was returned to the Navy. Later that year, the ship was renamed DD-59 to free the name Porter for another destroyer. She was sold for scrap in August 1934.[18]
USS Wadsworth (DD-60)
USS Wadsworth (DD-60) was laid down by the Bath Iron Works of Bath, Maine, in February 1914 and launched in April 1915. She was the first U.S. Navy vessel named for Alexander Scammel Wadsworth.[19] Wadsworth's geared steam turbine power plant was a successful prototype that greatly influenced U.S. destroyer designs after 1915.[8]
After her July 1915 commissioning, Wadsworth served on the
Upon returning to the United States at the end of 1918, Wadsworth underwent a five-month overhaul. She served as a plane guard for the Navy's transatlantic flight attempt by four Navy-Curtiss flying boats in May. After two years in reduced commission in August, Wadsworth was reactivated in May 1921. She was decommissioned in June 1922, and spent nearly 14 years in reserve at the
USS Jacob Jones (DD-61)
USS Jacob Jones (DD-61)[Note 2] was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding of Camden, New Jersey, in August 1914 and launched in May of the following year. She was the first U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of Jacob Jones.
After her February 1916 commissioning, Jacob Jones conducted patrols off the New England coast. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Jacob Jones was sent overseas. Patrolling the Irish Sea out of Queenstown, Ireland, Jacob Jones rescued the survivors of several ships, notably picking up over 300 from the sunken
On 6 December, Jacob Jones was steaming independently from Brest, France, for Queenstown, when she was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-53 with the loss of 66 officers and men, becoming the first United States destroyer sunk by enemy action, and the only destroyer lost to the enemy by the US Navy in World War I.[20] Jacob Jones sank in eight minutes without issuing a distress call; the German submarine commander, Kapitänleutnant Hans Rose, after rescuing two badly injured Jacob Jones crewmen, radioed the American base at Queenstown with the coordinates for the survivors before leaving the area.[16]
USS Wainwright (DD-62)
USS Wainwright (DD-62) was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding of Camden, New Jersey, in September 1914 and launched in June of the following year. She was the first U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of U.S. Navy officers
After her May 1916 commissioning, Wainwright sailed off the east coast and in the Caribbean. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Wainwright was part of the first U.S. destroyer squadron sent overseas. Patrolling the Irish Sea out of Queenstown, Ireland, Wainwright made several unsuccessful attacks on U-boats, and rescued survivors of several ships sunk by the German craft.[21]
Upon returning to the United States after the war, Wainwright resumed operations with the destroyers of the
Notes
- ^ The Cassin-class destroyers then under construction had a displacement of 1,010 long tons (1,030 t).
- ^ a b Although the United States Navy's hull classification system in which destroyers were assigned the hull code of DD was not adopted until July 1920, most sources retroactively apply the numbering system. So, for example, the lead ship of the class is referred to in sources as Tucker (DD-57) rather than as Tucker (Destroyer No. 57), even though the latter name is the one she was known by throughout most of her U.S. Navy career. Similarly, because Jacob Jones was sunk in 1917, she was never known by DD-61 while afloat, but is referred to by that hull code in sources.
- ^ The 50 denotes the length of the gun barrels; in this case, the gun is 50 calibers, meaning that the gun is 50 times as long as it is in diameter, 200 inches (5.1 m) in this case. The Mark number is the version of the gun; in this case, the ninth U.S. Navy design of the 4-inch/50 gun.
- Naval History & Heritage Command. "Aylwin". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command.
- portmanteauof "for the liver"—was any small, inexpensive automobile that shook the liver while in motion.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Gardiner, p. 122.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bauer and Roberts, p. 171.
- ^ a b Friedman, pp. 29, 31.
- ^ a b c d e Friedman, p. 31.
- ^ Friedman, p. 28.
- ^ a b c d Friedman, p. 29.
- ^ a b c Gardiner, p. 121.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Gardiner, p. 123.
- ^ Naval History & Heritage Command. "Conyngham" Archived 2007-09-22 at the Wayback Machine, "Jacob Jones", "Porter", "Tucker" Archived 2011-02-15 at the Wayback Machine, "Wadsworth", "Wainwright" Archived 2010-04-09 at the Wayback Machine. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships(DANFS). Retrieved on 6 May 2009.
- ^ a b c Gardiner, pp. 122–23.
- ^ Cashman, p. 278.
- ^ Naval History & Heritage Command. "Conyngham" Archived 2007-09-22 at the Wayback Machine, "Porter", "Wadsworth", "Wainwright" Archived 2010-04-09 at the Wayback Machine. DANFS. Retrieved on 6 May 2009.
- ^ Naval History & Heritage Command. "Jacob Jones", "Tucker" Archived 2011-02-15 at the Wayback Machine. DANFS. Retrieved on 6 May 2009.
- ^ a b c Naval History & Heritage Command. "Conyngham". DANFS. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
- ^ a b c Naval History & Heritage Command. "Jacob Jones". DANFS. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
- ^ a b Naval History & Heritage Command. "Tucker". DANFS. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
- ^ a b Naval History & Heritage Command. "Porter". DANFS. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
- ^ a b c Naval History & Heritage Command. "Wadsworth". DANFS. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
- ^ a b Naval History & Heritage Command. "Wainwright". DANFS. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
Bibliography
- OCLC 24010356.
- Cashman, Sean Dennis (1988). America in the Age of the Titans: The Progressive Era and World War I. New York: New York University Press. OCLC 17234055.
- Friedman, Norman (2004) [1982]. U.S. destroyers: An Illustrated Design History (rev. ed.). OCLC 51861947.
- Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. OCLC 12119866.
- Silverstone, Paul H., U.S. Warships of World War I (Ian Allan, 1970), ISBN 0-71100-095-6.
- Naval History & Heritage Command. "Conyngham". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
- Naval History & Heritage Command. "Jacob Jones". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
- Naval History & Heritage Command. "Porter". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
- Naval History & Heritage Command. "Tucker". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
- Naval History & Heritage Command. "Wadsworth". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
- Naval History & Heritage Command. "Wainwright". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
External links
- DestroyerHistory.org Thousand Tonner page
- DestroyerHistory.org Tucker Class page
- Tin Can [email protected] Tucker class Archived 2013-11-16 at the Wayback Machine
- NavSource Destroyer Photo Index Page
- DiGiulian, Tony Navweaps.com 4"/50 Mks 7, 8, 9, and 10
- DiGiulian, Tony Navweaps.com Pre-WWII US Torpedoes
- US Navy Torpedo History, part 2 Archived 2014-09-15 at the Wayback Machine