Truxtun-class destroyer

USS Truxtun (DD-14)
Class overview
Name: Truxtun class destroyer
Builders: Maryland Steel Company
Operators:  United States Navy
Preceded by: Bainbridge-class destroyer
Succeeded by: Smith-class destroyer
Built: 1899-1902
In commission: 1902-1919
Completed: 3
Retired: 3
Preserved: 0
General characteristics
Type: Destroyer
Displacement:
  • 433 long tons (440 t) normal
  • 605 long tons (615 t) full load
Length: 259 ft 6 in (79.10 m)
Beam: 22 ft 3 in (6.78 m)
Draft: 6 ft (1.8 m)
Installed power:
Propulsion: 2 shafts
Speed: 29.6 knots (54.8 km/h; 34.1 mph)
Capacity: 175 long tons (178 t) coal (fuel)
Complement:
  • 3 Officers
  • 75 Enlisted
Armament:

Three Truxtun-class destroyers were built for the United States Navy. Part of the original 16 destroyers authorized by Congress in 1898, they were commissioned in 1902.[1] They were very similar to their Bainbridge-class contemporaries, except for mounting six 6 pounder (57 mm) guns instead of five. They were considered the most successful of the first 16 US Navy destroyers, and were succeeded by the larger Smith class.[2]

The Truxtuns escorted convoys during World War I. They were equipped with one or two depth charge racks for this mission.[3] Also during World War I, the six-pounders and single torpedo tubes were replaced with two twin torpedo tubes on Truxton and Worden, with the number of torpedoes remaining at four. Whipple was modified with one twin torpedo tube mount and four torpedoes at this time.[4][5] All were sold in 1919 and converted to merchant vessels or scrapped.

Service

Truxtun and Whipple served first on the East Coast and later on the West Coast prior to World War I. Worden engaged in reserve training duties on the East Coast and acted as a submarine tender 1914-17. All three served in the Atlantic during the US participation in World War I. Following the Armistice, all were sold for scrapping or merchant conversion in 1919.

Ships in class

The three ships of the Truxtun class were:[6][7]

Ship Shipyard Laid down Launched Commissioned Decommissioned Fate
USS Truxtun (DD-14) Maryland Steel Company 13 November 1899 15 August 1901 11 September 1902 18 July 1919 Sold to Joseph G. Hitner for merchant conversion
USS Whipple (DD-15) Maryland Steel Company 13 November 1899 15 August 1901 21 October 1902 7 July 1919 Sold to Joseph G. Hitner for scrapping
USS Worden (DD-16) Maryland Steel Company 13 November 1899 15 August 1901 31 December 1902 13 July 1919 Sold to Joseph G. Hitner for merchant conversion

See also

Media related to Truxtun class destroyers at Wikimedia Commons

References

  1. ↑ Friedman, p. 10-19
  2. ↑ Friedman, p. 17
  3. ↑ Friedman, p. 68
  4. ↑ Gardiner and Chesneau, p. 159
  5. ↑ Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 168–169. ISBN 0-313-26202-0.
  6. ↑ DestroyerHistory.org Truxtun class destroyer
  7. ↑ Gardiner and Chesneau, p. 159

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, November 10, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.