Bainbridge class destroyer
Encyclopedia
Officially designated as Torpedo Boat Destroyers when authorized by Congress in 1898, the Bainbridge-class destroyers were the first destroyers of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, built from 1899 through 1903.
The 13 Bainbridge TBDs of the 16 torpedo boat destroyers (3 were Truxtun type TBDs) authorized by Congress were ordered following the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
, and were decommissioned in 1920. One ship was lost at sea: the Chauncey, which collided with in 1917.
After decommissioning, the 12 remaining ships were sold to Joseph G. Hitner
Joseph G. Hitner
Joseph G. Hitner owned an iron works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.He purchased many United States Navy ships in the early 1900s, converting some of them to merchant ships and scrapping others.-References:...
, except for the Hopkins. Hopkins was sold to the Denton Shore Lumber Company in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
.
A Bainbridge-class destroyer would be dwarfed by its counterpart of 100 years later. The Arleigh Burke
Arleigh Burke class destroyer
The Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers is the United States Navy's first class of destroyer built around the Aegis combat system and the SPY-1D multi-function phased array radar. The class is named for Admiral Arleigh "31-Knot" Burke, the most famous American destroyer officer of...
class destroyer is more than twice as long and displaces 20 times as much tonnage as her namesake a century earlier.
Subdividing the Bainbridge class
Some sources break the Bainbridge class into other classes.- Hopkins and Hull were oil-fueled rather than coal-fueled, had turtle deck forward and may be considered to be Hopkins-class.
- Lawrence and Macdonough had two additional 6-pounder guns, turtledeck forward, carried their funnels in only one group of four and may be considered to be Lawrence-class.
- Paul Jones, Perry and Preble carried one twin torpedo tube instead of two singles and may be considered to be Lawrence-class.
- Stewart was equipped with Seabury boilers and was fastest of the 400-tonners (she was also the smallest).
Ships in class
| Ship | Shipyard |
|---|---|
| Neafie and Levy Ship and Engine Building Company Neafie & Levy Neafie, Levy & Co., commonly known as Neafie & Levy, was a Philadelphia shipbuilding and engineering firm that existed from the middle of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century... |
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| Neafie and Levy Ship and Engine Building Company | |
| Neafie and Levy Ship and Engine Building Company | |
| William R. Trigg Company William R. Trigg Company thumb | An 1899 advertisement for the company William R. Trigg Company, also the Trigg Shipbuilding Company, was an inland shipyard in Richmond, Virginia. The shipyard produced torpedo boats and destroyers for the United States Navy. It was founded by William R. Trigg, who also owned the Richmond... |
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| William R. Trigg Company | |
| Harlan & Hollingsworth Company Harlan and Hollingsworth Harlan & Hollingsworth was a Wilmington, Delaware, firm that constructed ships and railroad cars during the 19th century and into the 20th century.-Founding:... |
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| Harlan & Hollingsworth Company | |
| Fore River Ship & Engine Company Fore River Shipyard The Fore River Shipyard of Quincy, Massachusetts, more formally known as the Fore River Ship and Engine Building Company, was a shipyard in the United States from 1883 until 1986. Located on the Weymouth Fore River, the yard began operations in 1883 in Braintree, Massachusetts before being moved... |
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| Fore River Ship & Engine Company | |
| Union Iron Works Union Iron Works Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.-History:... |
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| Union Iron Works | |
| Union Iron Works | |
| Gas Engine and Power Company |