Aylwin-class destroyer
.jpg) USS Aylwin (DD-47) | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Aylwin class destroyer |
| Operators: |
 United States Navy |
| Preceded by: | Cassin class destroyer |
| Succeeded by: | O'Brien class destroyer |
| Built: | 1912-14 |
| In commission: | 1913-35 |
| Completed: | 4 |
| Retired: | 4 |
| Preserved: | 0 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Destroyer |
| Displacement: | 1,036 tons (normal) 1,165 (full load) |
| Length: | 305 ft 3 in (93.04 m) |
| Beam: | 30 ft 4 in (9.25 m) |
| Draft: | 9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 Normand boilers 2 direct drive Zoelly steam turbines 16,286 hp (12,144 kW) |
| Speed: | 29.6 knots (54.8 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 307 tons/oil (fuel) |
| Complement: | 8 Officers 8 Chief Petty Officers 90 Enlisted |
| Armament: | Four 4 inch/50 caliber (102 mm) guns Eight 18 inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes (4 × 2) |
The Aylwin class was a class of four destroyers in the United States Navy; all served as convoy escorts during World War I. The Aylwins were the second of six "second-generation" 1000-ton four-stack destroyer classes that were front-line ships of the Navy until the 1920s. They were known as "thousand tonners". All were scrapped in 1935 to comply with the London Naval Treaty.[1]
All four ships were built by William Cramp and Sons in Philadelphia.
The ships were built concurrently with the Cassin class and are sometimes considered to be in that class. In design and armament they were essentially repeats of the Cassin class.
Design
The Aylwins retained the Cassins' armament of four 4 inch (102 mm) Mark 9 guns and eight 18 inch (456 mm) torpedo tubes in twin broadside mounts. Also, as in some Cassins, triple-expansion engines could be clutched to the shafts for economical medium-speed cruising.[2] The class was probably equipped with one or two depth charge racks each for anti-submarine convoy escort missions in World War I.[3]
Ships in class
The four ships of the Aylwin class were:
| Ship | Shipyard | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USS Aylwin (DD-47) | William Cramp & Sons | 7 March 1912 | 23 November 1912 | 17 January 1914 | 23 February 1921 | Scrapped 1935 |
| USS Parker (DD-48) | William Cramp & Sons | 11 March 1912 | 8 February 1913 | 30 December 1913 | 6 June 1922 | Scrapped 1935 |
| USS Benham (DD-49) | William Cramp & Sons | 14 March 1912 | 22 March 1913 | 20 Jan 1914 | 7 July 1922 | Scrapped 1935 |
| USS Balch (DD-50) | William Cramp & Sons | 7 May 1912 | 21 December 1912 | 26 March 1914 | 20 June 1922 | Scrapped 1935 |
See also
Media related to Aylwin class destroyers at Wikimedia Commons
References
- Friedman, Norman "US Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History (Revised Edition)", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis:2004, ISBN 1-55750-442-3.
- Gardiner, Robert, Conway's all the world's fighting ships 1906-1921 Conway Maritime Press, 1985. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I. London: Random House Group, Ltd. 2001. p. 147. ISBN 1-85170-378-0.
- Silverstone, Paul H., U.S. Warships of World War I (Ian Allan, 1970), ISBN 0-71100-095-6.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
External links
- Tin Can Sailors @ Destroyers.org - Aylwin class destroyer
- DestroyerHistory.org Aylwin class page
- DestroyerHistory.org Thousand Tonner page
- 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
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