Tucker class destroyer - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Tucker class of destroyer

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 was a ship class

Ship class

A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....

of six ships designed by and built for 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...

shortly before the United States entered 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...

. 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 1000 long tons (1,016 MT) displacement

Displacement (ship)

A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load...

.

The design of what became the Tucker class was the result of compromises between the General Board of the United States Navy

General Board of the United States Navy

The General Board of the United States Navy was an advisory body of the United States Navy, effectively a naval general staff. The General Board was established by general order 544, issued on March 13, 1900 by John Davis Long. The order was officially recognized by Congress in 1916...

and the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Construction and Repair

Bureau of Construction and Repair

The Bureau of Construction and Repair was the part of the United States Navy which from 1862 to 1940 was responsible for supervising the design, construction, conversion, procurement, maintenance, and repair of ships and other craft for the Navy...

. The General Board, tasked with creating an integrated battle fleet, wanted a larger ship that could serve in a scouting

Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....

role and proposed a ship larger than the unique British destroyer 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 , which itself was similar to the first of the thousand tonners, the (which displaced about a third more than the preceding ).

The ships were built by four private American shipyards—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...

, Fore River Shipbuilding Company, New York Shipbuilding Corporation, and William Cramp and Sons

William Cramp and Sons

thumb | upright | 1899 advertisement for William Cramp & Sons William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company of Philadelphia was founded in 1825 by William Cramp, and was the preeminent U.S. iron shipbuilder in the 19th century. The American Ship & Commerce Corporation bought the yard in 1919 but closed...

—and were laid down between February and November 1914; launched between April and July 1915; and commissioned into the U.S. Navy between July 1915 and May 1916. The ships had a median displacement of 1060 long tons (1,077 MT), were just over 315 feet (96 m) in length, and had a beam

Beam (nautical)

The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...

of about 30 feet (9.1 m). Most of the ships had two direct-drive steam turbine

Steam turbine

A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....

s and a single geared cruising turbine; was equipped with two geared steam turbines only and, as the first U.S. destroyer so equipped, greatly influenced later U.S. Navy destroyer designs. All of the ships were designed for a maximum speed of 29.5 knots and a range of 2500 nautical miles (4,630 km) at more economical speeds. As built, they were armed with four 4 inches (10.2 cm) guns and had four twin 21 inches (533.4 mm) torpedo tube

Torpedo tube

A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...

s with a load of eight torpedo

Torpedo

The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...

es, but all were later equipped with depth charge

Depth charge

A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...

s.

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 Queenstown, Ireland, for convoy escort duties. Several of the ships rescued passengers and crew from ships sunk by U-boats, and several had encounters with U-boats themselves; was torpedoed and sunk by in December 1917. All five surviving members of the class had returned to the United States by early 1919 and been decommissioned by June 1922. Between 1924 and 1926, four of the five (all but Wadsworth) were commissioned into the United States Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

to help enforce Prohibition

Prohibition in the United States

Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...

as a part of the "Rum Patrol

Rum Patrol

The Rum Patrol was an operation of the United States Coast Guard to interdict liquor smuggling vessels, known as "rum runners" in order to enforce prohibition in American waters. On 18 December 1917, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution was submitted to the states by Congress...

". They were returned to U.S. Navy custody between 1934 and 1936, and had all been sold for scrapping

Ship breaking

Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...

by 1936.

Background

In September 1912, the General Board of the United States Navy

General Board of the United States Navy

asked the Navy's Bureau of Construction and Repair

Bureau of Construction and Repair

(C&R) to develop plans for the next class

Ship class

of destroyer

Destroyer

s. The General Board asked for a design with four 4 inches (102 mm) guns, six twin 21 inches (533 mm) torpedo tube

Torpedo tube

s, and twenty floating mines

Naval mine

A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...

, that could travel at up to 35 knots with steaming radius of . C&R came back with a design for a 385 feet (117.3 m) long, 2160 long tons (2,194.7 MT) displacement

Displacement (ship)

, triple-screw "super-destroyer" requiring 40000 shp to make the design speed of 35 knots (68.6 km/h). The C&R design was similar to, but larger than the unique British destroyer of 1907, and more than twice the displacement of the largest U.S. destroyers.The s then under construction had a displacement of 1010 long tons (1,026.2 MT).

The General Board, whose main concern was the integrated operation of the United States battle fleet, pushed for the design to provide more scouting

Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....

capabilities for fleet operations. But the high cost of the design—$1,900,000 for hull and machinery vs. $790,000 for the ships—and the lack of operating experience with the —the first of the "thousand tonners" (destroyers exceeding 1000 long tons (1,016.1 MT) displacement

Displacement (ship)

) which were just beginning to be launched—caused C&R to resist the much larger design. 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".

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 and the desired 2500 nautical miles (4,630 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 ramming. The C&R design for the Tucker class, DD-57 through DD-62, was approved by the Secretary of the Navy in December 1912, and authorized by Congress in 1913.

Design

As built, the Tucker class ships were 315 in 3 in (96.09 m) in length (overall), were between 29 in 9 in (9.07 m) and 30 in 6 in (9.3 m) abeam, and had a median draft of 9 in 4 in (2.84 m). The hull shape featured the distinctive high forecastle typical of U.S. destroyer classes since the 1908–09 , the first destroyers designed to be truly ocean-going vessels. The ships displaced between 1060 and 1150 LT (1,077 and 1,168.5 MT) with a median of 1060 long tons (1,077 MT).

The ships were equipped with two propeller shafts and two Curtis steam turbine

Steam turbine

s fed by four Yarrow boiler

Yarrow boiler

Yarrow boilers are an important class of high-pressure water-tube boilers. They were developed byYarrows and were widely used on ships, particularly warships....

s, providing a minimum of 17000 shp to achieve the design speed of 29.5 knots (57.8 km/h). For all of the ships except , the pair of main turbines was supplemented with a cruising turbine geared to one of the shafts. Wadsworth had no cruising turbines, but instead had her twin turbines geared directly to the propeller shafts—the first American destroyer so outfitted. She served as a testbed, and had a considerable effect on U.S. destroyer design after her trials in July 1915.

The main battery

Artillery battery

In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...

of the Tucker class consisted of four 4 inches (101.6 mm)/50 Mark 9 guns,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. with each gun weighing in excess of 6100 lbs. The guns fired 33 lbs armor-piercing

Armor-piercing shot and shell

An armor-piercing shell is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate armor. From the 1860s to 1950s, a major application of armor-piercing projectiles was to defeat the thick armor carried on many warships. From the 1920s onwards, armor-piercing weapons were required for anti-tank missions...

projectile

Projectile

A projectile is any object projected into space by the exertion of a force. Although a thrown baseball is technically a projectile too, the term more commonly refers to a weapon....

s at 2900 feet per second (883.9 m/s). At an elevation

Elevation (ballistics)

In ballistics, the elevation is the angle between the horizontal plane and the direction of the barrel of a gun, mortar or heavy artillery. Originally, elevation was a linear measure of how high the gunners had to physically lift the muzzle of a gun up from the gun carriage to hit targets at a...

of 20°, the guns had a range of 15920 yards.

The Tucker class was also equipped with four twin 21 inches (533 mm) torpedo tube

Torpedo tube

s, for a total load of eight torpedoes. Although the General Board had called for two anti-aircraft guns

Anti-aircraft warfare

NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...

for the Tucker class, they were not originally outfitted with the weapons; the was the first American destroyer class so armed. Likewise, there is no record of any of the Tucker ships being outfitted with mine-laying apparatus. During World War I, most American destroyers were used in anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....

roles, and were equipped with depth charge

Depth charge

s and delivery systems, such as Y-guns and depth charge racks. Tucker-class ships were equipped with depth charges during the war, but no specific mentions of the types of depth charges used or delivery system are recorded in available sources.

Comparisons with other "thousand tonners"

The "thousand tonners" were the 26 United States Navy destroyers of five classes—Cassin, , 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.The is considered a part of the by Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906–1921 (p. 122), but is classed separately by the United States Navy. See, for example, The Cassin class, the first of the thousand tonners, displaced about a third more than the preceding . The introduction of the thousand tonners led to the Pauldings and other older, smaller displacement destroyers of previous classes to be dismissively called "flivvers", a nickname also commonly applied to the Ford Model T

Ford Model T

The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...

.According to Cashman (p. 278), a flivver—a portmanteau of "for the liver"—was any small, inexpensive automobile that shook the liver while in motion.

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 m) shorter than the Tucker ships and had a lower displacement, between 40 and 80 LT (40.6 and 81.3 MT) 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 MT) more. All five classes were armed with four 4 inches (102 mm) guns, but the torpedo size and complement varied. All were equipped with four twin torpedo tube

Torpedo tube

s loaded with eight torpedo

Torpedo

es except for the Sampsons (which had four triple tubes carrying twelve torpedoes), but the Cassin and Aylwin classes were armed with 18 inches (457 mm) torpedoes; the rest with 21 inches (533 mm) torpedoes. The Sampsons were the only group originally equipped with anti-aircraft guns

Anti-aircraft warfare

, a pair of 1 pdr guns

QF 1 pounder pom-pom

The QF 1 pounder, universally known as the pom-pom, was an early 37 mm British autocannon. It was used by several countries initially as an infantry gun and later as a light anti-aircraft gun. The name comes from the sound it makes when firing....

with a caliber of 37 mm (1.46 in).

Construction

The construction of the six Tucker-class ships was allocated to four U.S. shipbuilders. The Fore River Shipbuilding Company and Bath Iron Works

Bath Iron Works

built one ship each, while William Cramp

William Cramp and Sons

and New York Shipbuilding each constructed a pair of Tucker destroyers. The keel

Keel

In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...

s for all six ships were laid down between February and November 1914, with Wadsworth being the first and the last. All were launched between April and July 1915, with Wadsworth again being the first and being the last. Wadsworth was commissioned in July 1915, three months after her launch; the rest were commissioned between January and May 1916, with the final ship to enter service.

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 Queenstown, Ireland, for convoy escort and anti-submarine

Anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....

duties after the United States entered World War I in April 1917. , Porter, Wadsworth, and Wainwright were in the first group of six American destroyers, arriving at Queenstown on 4 May; Tucker and followed as part of the second group, which arrived thirteen days later. Several of the ships had encounters with U-boats during the war: Conynghams commander was commended for what was thought a probable "kill" of one U-boat; Jacob Jones was sunk by in December 1917. All surviving ships of the class had returned to the United States by early 1919 and served in various roles over the next two years. Tucker was decommissioned in May 1921, followed by Wainwright in May 1922, and the remaining three in June 1922.

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

United States Coast Guard

's "Rum Patrol

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

Ship breaking

in 1934; the other two in 1936.

USS Tucker (DD-57)

USS Tucker (DD-57), the lead ship

Lead ship

The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...

of the class, was laid down by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company of Quincy, Massachusetts

Quincy, Massachusetts

Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...

, in November 1914 and launched in May 1915. She was the first U.S. Navy vessel named for Samuel Tucker

Samuel Tucker

Samuel Tucker was an officer in the Continental Navy and the United States Navy.-Military Career:Born in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Tucker began his naval career in the spring of 1760 as a cabin boy in the warship, King George. He subsequently rose to command of a merchant ship in July 1774...

. After her April 1916 commissioning, Tucker sailed off the east coast

East Coast of the United States

The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...

and in the Caribbean

Caribbean

The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Tucker was part of the second U.S. destroyer squadron sent overseas. Patrolling the Irish Sea

Irish Sea

The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...

out of Queenstown, Ireland, Tucker made several rescues of passengers and crew from ships sunk by U-boats. For her part in rescuing crewmen from the in August 1918, Tucker received a commendation from the Préfet Maritime

Préfet Maritime

The Préfet Maritime is a servant of the French State who exercises authority over the sea in one particular region . As a civil servant, he reports to the Prime Minister...

. In June, Tucker was transferred to Brest, France

Brest, France

Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...

, and spent the remainder of the war there.

Upon returning to the United State near the end of 1918, Tucker underwent repairs at the Boston Navy Yard

Boston Navy Yard

The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...

. After a New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

recruiting tour through October 1919, she was placed in reduced commission and then decommissioned in May 1921. In March 1926, Tucker was transferred to the United States Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard

to help enforce Prohibition

Prohibition in the United States

as a part of the "Rum Patrol

Rum Patrol

". She operated under the name USCGC Tucker (CG-23) until 1933; during her Coast Guard service, she was the first American ship to arrive at the crash site of Navy airship . After her transfer back to the Navy later in 1933, the ship was renamed DD-57 to free the name Tucker for another destroyer

USS Tucker (DD-374)

The second USS Tucker was a Mahan-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Samuel Tucker.-History:...

. She was sold for scrap and hulked in December 1936.

USS Conyngham (DD-58)

USS Conyngham (DD-58) was laid down by the William Cramp and Sons

William Cramp and Sons

of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

in July 1914 and launched in July of the following year. She was the first U.S. Navy vessel named for Gustavus Conyngham

Gustavus Conyngham

Gustavus Conyngham was born in County Donegal, Ireland, and was a merchant sea captain, officer in the Continental Navy and a privateer....

. 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. Conynghams commander was commended for actions related to what was thought at the time to be a "probable" kill of a German submarine.

Upon returning to the United State in December 1918, Conyngham underwent repairs at the Boston Navy Yard

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

USS Conyngham (DD-371)

The second USS Conyngham was a in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Gustavus Conyngham.-History:...

. She was sold for scrap in August 1934.

USS Porter (DD-59)

USS Porter (DD-59) was laid down by the William Cramp and 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

David Porter (naval officer)

David Porter was an officer in the United States Navy in a rank of commodore and later the commander-in-chief of the Mexican Navy.-Life:...

and his son David Dixon Porter

David Dixon Porter

David Dixon Porter was a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the United States Navy. Promoted as the second man to the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G...

. 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 in April 1918.

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

USS Porter (DD-356)

USS Porter was the lead ship in her class of destroyers in the United States Navy. She was the third Navy ship named for Commodore David Porter and his son, Admiral David Dixon Porter....

. She was sold for scrap in August 1934.

USS Wadsworth (DD-60)

USS Wadsworth (DD-60) was laid down by the Bath Iron Works

Bath Iron Works

of Bath, Maine

Bath, Maine

Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...

, in February 1914 and launched in April 1915. She was the first U.S. Navy vessel named for Alexander Scammel Wadsworth

Alexander S. Wadsworth

Commodore Alexander Scammel Wadsworth was an officer of the United States Navy. His more than 40 years of active duty included service in the War of 1812.-Biography:...

. Wadsworths geared steam turbine

Steam turbine

power plant was a successful prototype that greatly influenced U.S. destroyer designs after 1915. After her July 1915 commissioning, Wadsworth served on the neutrality patrol

Neutrality Patrol

At the beginning of World War II, when Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 started the hostilities in Europe, President Franklin D...

off the east coast and in the Caribbean. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Wadsworth was the flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

of the first U.S. destroyer squadron sent overseas. Patrolling the Irish Sea out of Queenstown, Ireland, Wadsworth reported several encounters with U-boats in the first months overseas. She was transferred to Brest, France, in March 1918, and spent the remainder of the war there.

Upon returning to the United State 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 Philadelphia Navy Yard. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register

Naval Vessel Register

The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...

in January 1936, sold in June, and scrapped in August.

USS Jacob Jones (DD-61)

USS Jacob Jones (DD-61) was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding of Camden, New Jersey

Camden, New Jersey

The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...

, 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

Jacob Jones

Commodore Jacob Nicholas Jones was an officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France, the Barbary Wars, and the War of 1812.-Biography:...

. 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 armed merchant cruiser .

On 6 December, Jacob Jones was steaming independently from Brest, France, for Queenstown, when she was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine with the loss of 66 officers and men, becoming the first United States destroyer to ever be sunk by enemy action. Jacob Jones sank in eight minutes without issuing a distress call; the German submarine commander, Kapitänleutnant Hans Rose

Hans Rose

Lieutenant Commander Hans Rose was one of the most successful and highly decorated German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during .Rose was one of the most respected and brave U-boat commanders and famous for his humanity and fairness in battle...

, after rescuing two badly injured Jacob Jones crewmen, radioed the American base at Queenstown with the coordinates for the survivors before leaving the area.

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 Jonathan Wainwright and Jonathan Wainwright, Jr.

Jonathan Wainwright, Jr.

Master Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright, Jr. , son of Commander Jonathan Wainwright, was an officer in the United States Navy....

(father and son), and Commander Richard Wainwright (cousin of the elder Jonathan). 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.

Upon returning to the United State after the war, Wainwright resumed operations with the destroyers of the Atlantic Fleet until May 1922, when she was decommissioned. In April 1926, Wainwright 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 Wainwright (CG-24) until April 1934, when she was returned to the Navy. She was sold for scrap in August 1934.

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