Caldwell class destroyer
Encyclopedia
The Caldwell class of destroyer
s served in the United States Navy
near the end of World War I
.
Built in 1917 and 1918, the 6 ships of the Caldwell class were flush-decked to remove the fo'c'sle break weakness of the preceding Tucker class
. The forward sheer of the Caldwell class was improved to keep "A" mount from being constantly washed out. The class had beam torpedo tubes and wing mounts, both flaws in design also found in the Wickes-class
and Clemson-class
vessels.
Manleys
high-speed destroyer transport (APD
) conversion, removing her forward stacks and boilers, gave her the capacity to lift 200 Marines and four 11m (36ft) Higgins assault boats. She saw action at Guadalcanal
and Kwajalein
.
Three entered Royal Navy
service in 1940 under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement
as the Town class
. USS Conner (DD-72)
serving as HMS Leeds provided cover at Gold Beach on 6 June 1944; her sisters served as convoy escorts. All survived the war, two being sunk as targets and one scrapped, postwar.
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s served in 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...
near the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Built in 1917 and 1918, the 6 ships of the Caldwell class were flush-decked to remove the fo'c'sle break weakness of the preceding Tucker class
Tucker class destroyer
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...
. The forward sheer of the Caldwell class was improved to keep "A" mount from being constantly washed out. The class had beam torpedo tubes and wing mounts, both flaws in design also found in the Wickes-class
Wickes class destroyer
The Wickes-class destroyers were a group of 111 destroyers built by the United States Navy in 1917-1919. Along with the 6 preceding Caldwell class and 155 subsequent Clemson-class destroyers, they formed the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" class. Only a few were completed in time to serve in World...
and Clemson-class
Clemson class destroyer
The Clemson class was a series of 156 destroyers which served with the United States Navy from after World War I through World War II.The Clemson-class ships were commissioned by the United States Navy from 1919 to 1922, built by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, New York Shipbuilding...
vessels.
Manleys
USS Manley (DD-74)
USS Manley , a , served in the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship named for Captain John Manley ....
high-speed destroyer transport (APD
High speed transport
High Speed Transports were converted destroyers and destroyer escorts used to support amphibious operations in World War II and afterward. They received the US Hull classification symbol APD; "AP" for transport and "D" for destroyer....
) conversion, removing her forward stacks and boilers, gave her the capacity to lift 200 Marines and four 11m (36ft) Higgins assault boats. She saw action at Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
and Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
.
Three entered Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
service in 1940 under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement
Destroyers for Bases Agreement
The Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, September 2, 1940, transferred fifty mothballed destroyers from the United States Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions...
as the Town class
Town class destroyer
The Town class destroyers were warships transferred from the United States Navy to the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy in exchange for military bases in the Bahamas and elsewhere, as outlined in the Destroyers for Bases Agreement between Britain and United States, signed on 2 September 1940...
. USS Conner (DD-72)
USS Conner (DD-72)
USS Conner , a Caldwell-class destroyer, served in the United States Navy, and later in the Royal Navy as HMS Leeds.-Construction:...
serving as HMS Leeds provided cover at Gold Beach on 6 June 1944; her sisters served as convoy escorts. All survived the war, two being sunk as targets and one scrapped, postwar.
Ships in class
The 6 ships of the Caldwell class were:| Hull no. | Ship name | Builder | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate | Service notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DD-69 | Mare Island Navy Yard | 1 Dec 1917 | 27 Mar 1936 | Scrapped | ||
| DD-70 | Norfolk Navy Yard | 19 Oct 1918 | 23 Oct 1940 | Transferred to Royal Navy Royal Navy The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service... |
Re-named HMS Lewes | |
| DD-71 | Seattle Dry Dock Company Seattle Construction and Drydock Company The Seattle Construction and Drydock Company was a shipbuilding company based in Seattle, Washington. Formally established in 1911, the shipyard could trace its history back to 1882, when Robert Moran opened a marine repair shop at Yesler's Wharf... |
18 Mar 1920 | 28 Jun 1936 | Scrapped | ||
| DD-72 | William Cramp & Sons | 12 Jan 1918 | 23 Oct 1940 | Transferred to RN | Re-named HMS Leeds | |
| DD-73 | William Cramp & Sons | 12 Jan 1918 | 23 Oct 1940 | Transferred to RN | Re-named HMS Ludlow | |
| DD-74 | Bath Iron Works Bath Iron Works Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy... |
15 Oct 1917 | 14 Jun 1922 | Converted to High-Speed Transport | Designated APD-1 | |
Sources
- Fitzsimons, Bernard, General Editor. The Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare, Volume 5, pp.510-11, "Caldwell", and Volume 16, pp.1717-18, "Leeds". London: Phoebus, 1978.
- http://www.navsource.org/archives