Forrest Sherman-class destroyer

Forrest Sherman-class destroyer
USS Hull (DD-945)
Class overview
Name: Forrest Sherman class
Builders:
Operators:  United States Navy
Preceded by: Mitscher class
Succeeded by: Farragut class
Built: 1953–1959
In commission: 1955–1988
Completed: 18
Retired: 18
Preserved: 2
General characteristics
Type: Destroyer
Displacement:
  • 2,800 tons standard
  • 4,050 tons full load
Length:
  • 407 ft (124 m) waterline
  • 418 ft (127 m) overall
Beam: 45 ft (14 m)
Draft: 22 ft (6.7 m)
Propulsion:
  • General Electric steam turbines (Westinghouse in DD-931)
  • 4 × 1,200 psi (8.3 MPa) Foster-Wheeler boilers (Babcock & Wilcox in DD-937, DD-943, DD-944, DD-945, DD-946 and DD-948)
  • 70,000 shp (52 MW), 2 × shafts.
Speed: 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h)
Range: 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km) at 20 knots (37 km/h)
Complement: 15 officers, 318 enlisted
Armament:

The 18 Forrest Sherman-class destroyers were the first US post-war destroyers (DD-927 to DD-930 were completed as destroyer leaders). Commissioned beginning in 1955, these ships served until the late 1980s. Their weaponry underwent considerable modification during their years of service. Four were converted to guided missile destroyers. This class also served as the basis for the Charles F. Adams-class guided missile destroyer.

Two ships of the class have become museum ships, nine have been sunk in training exercises, and the others have been scrapped or are scheduled to be scrapped.

Construction

Nine ships were constructed by Bath Iron Works of Bath, Maine, five were built by Bethlehem Steel at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, two were built by Ingalls Shipbuilding at Pascagoula, Mississippi and two were built by Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company in Seattle, Washington. These destroyers were assigned hull numbers 931 to 951, but the series skipped over the numbers used to designate the war prizes DD-934 (the Japanese ex-Hanazuki), DD-935 (the German T35), and DD-939 (the German Z39).

Description

At the time they entered service, these ships were the largest US destroyers ever built, 418 feet (127 m) long, with a standard displacement of 2,800 tonnes (2,800 long tons). They were originally armed with three 5-inch (127 mm)/54 caliber guns mounted in single turrets (one forward and two aft), 4 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber AA guns in twin mounts, as well as hedgehogs and torpedoes for ASW. However, over the years, weaponry was considerably modified. The hedgehogs and 3-inch (76 mm) guns were removed from all ships during the 1960s and 1970s. In addition the fixed torpedo tubes were replaced by two triple 12.75 inches (324 mm) Mark 32 torpedo tube mounts. Eight of the class were modernized to improve their ASW capabilities, becoming the Barry class. These ships were fitted with an eight cell ASROC launcher in place of the No. 2 5-inch (127 mm) gun, and with a variable-depth sonar system.

USS Barry (DD-933) with aft gun mount removed and replaced with an ASROC launcher.

Four of the destroyers—John Paul Jones, Parsons, Decatur, and Somers—were converted to guided missile destroyers.

USS Decatur (DDG-31) after conversion to a guided missile destroyer with one of the aft gun mounts replaced with a Mk 13 missile launcher.

As a test platform, the Hull carried the Navy's prototype 8"/55 caliber Mark 71 gun light-weight gun from 1975–1978 when the program was canceled, and the 5-inch mount was restored. Hull remains the only modern destroyer-type to carry an 8-inch (203 mm) gun.

Hull and later ships were equipped with B&W Bailey Meter Company's new automatic boiler combustion control system, and a modified hurricane bow/anchor configuration. These ships are listed as Hull-class destroyers in some references.

Disposition

Of the 18 completed, nine were disposed of in fleet training exercises, five were sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping, two are museums and two (Forrest Sherman, Barry) are awaiting scrapping.

Ships in class

Ship Name Hull No. Builder Commission–
Decommission		 Fate Link
Forrest Sherman DD-931 Bath Iron Works 1955–1982 Stricken, sold for scrapping 15 December 2014 [1]
John Paul Jones DD-932/DDG-32 Bath Iron Works 1956–1982 Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 01/31/2001 [2]
Barry DD-933 Bath Iron Works 1956–1982 Stricken, retained by the Navy as museum, 1983-2015. To be sold for scrapping. [3]
Decatur DD-936/DDG-31 Bethlehem Steel, Fore River Shipyard 1956–1983 Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 07/21/2004 [4]
Davis DD-937 Bethlehem Steel, Fore River Shipyard 1957–1982 Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping, 06/30/1994 [5]
Jonas Ingram DD-938 Bethlehem Steel, Fore River Shipyard 1957–1983 Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 07/23/1988 [6]
Manley DD-940 Bath Iron Works 1957–1983 Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping, 06/30/1994 [7]
Du Pont DD-941 Bath Iron Works 1957–1983 Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping, 12/11/1992 [8]
Bigelow DD-942 Bath Iron Works 1957–1982 Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 04/02/2003 [9]
Blandy DD-943 Bethlehem Steel, Fore River Shipyard 1957–1982 Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping, 06/30/1994 [10]
Mullinnix DD-944 Bethlehem Steel, Fore River Shipyard 1958–1983 Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 08/23/1992 [11]
Hull DD-945 Bath Iron Works 1958–1983 Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 04/07/1998 [12]
Edson DD-946 Bath Iron Works 1958–1988 Donated as a museum/memorial; now museum in Bay City, Michigan [13]
Somers DD-947/DDG-34 Bath Iron Works 1959–1982 Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 07/22/1998 [14]
Morton DD-948 Ingalls Shipbuilding 1959–1982 Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping, 03/04/1992 [15]
Parsons DD-949/DDG-33 Ingalls Shipbuilding 1959–1982 Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 04/25/1989 [16]
Richard S. Edwards DD-950 Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company 1959–1982 Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise, 04/10/1997 [17]
Turner Joy DD-951 Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company 1959–1982 Donated as a museum/memorial, 04/10/1991; now museum in Bremerton, WA [18]

References

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