Wickes class destroyer
Encyclopedia
The Wickes-class destroyers (DD-75 to DD-185) were a group of 111 destroyer
s 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 War I
. While some were scrapped in the 1930s, the rest served through World War II
. Most of these were converted to other uses. Some were transferred to the British
Royal Navy
, and a few of these were later transferred to the Soviet
navy. All were scrapped within a few years after World War II.
, it was realized that a torpedo boat destroyer was urgently needed to screen the larger warships, so much so that a special war plans board headed by Theodore Roosevelt
issued an urgent report pleading for this type of ship.
A series of destroyers had been built over the preceding years, designed for high smooth water speed, with indifferent results. The results of these early destroyers was the appreciation of the need for true seakeeping and seagoing abilities. As a result, the size of U.S. destroyer classes increased steadily, starting at 450 tons and rising to over 1,000 tons between 1905 and 1916. The need for hulls large enough for high speed and heavy seas performance saw the inclusion of both oil fuel and reduction geared steam turbines.
A further need in the Navy was for scouting. There were few cruisers in the Navy, which was a fleet of battleship
s and destroyers. A report of October 1915 by Captain Sims noted that the smaller destroyers used fuel far too quickly, and that war games showed the need for fast vessels with a larger radius of action.
With World War I then in its second year and tensions between the U.S. and Germany
increasing, the U.S. needed to expand its navy. The Naval Appropriation Act of 1916 called for a navy "second to none," capable of protecting both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The Act authorized 10 battleships, 6 Lexington-class battlecruisers
, 10 Omaha-class
scout cruisers, and 50 Wickes-class destroyers.
warfare during World War I created a requirement for destroyers in numbers that had not been contemplated before the war. A top speed of 35 knots (68.6 km/h) was needed for operation with the Lexington battlecruisers and Omaha cruisers.
The final design had a flush deck and four smokestacks. It was a fairly straightforward evolution of the preceding Caldwell class. General dissatisfaction with the earlier "1,000 ton" designs (Cassin and Tucker classes) led to the fuller hull form of the "flush deck" type. Greater beam and the flush deck provided greater hull strength. In addition, the Wickes class had 26000 hp (5,000 more HP than the Caldwell class), providing an extra 5 knots (9.8 km/h).
The extra power required an extra 100 tons of engine and reduction gears. The design included an even keel and near horizontal propeller shafts to minimize weight.
Armament was the same as the Caldwell class: 4×4"/50 caliber guns and 12×21" torpedo tubes. While the gun armament was typical for destroyers of this period, the torpedo armament was larger than usual, in accordance with American practice at the time.
The Wickes class proved to be short-ranged, and its bridge and gun positions were very wet. The Clemson class added 100 tons of fuel tankage to improve operational range, but the issue of range was solved only with the development of at-sea refueling.
authorized 50 destroyers in the 1916 Act. However, the realization of the scope of the U-boat campaign resulted in 111 being built. The ships were built at Bath Iron Works
, Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Union Iron Works
, Mare Island Navy Yard, Newport News Shipbuilding, New York Shipbuilding
, and William Cramp and Sons
. 267 Wickes and Clemson-class destroyers were built. This program was considered a major industrial achievement. Production of these destroyers was considered so important that work on cruisers and battleships was delayed to allowed completion of the program. The first Wickes class was launched on 11 November 1917, with four more by the end of the year. Production peaked in July 1918, when 17 were launched - 15 of them on 4 July.
The program continued after the war ended: 21 of the Wickes class (and all but 9 of the Clemson class) were launched after the armistice on 11 November 1918. The last of the Wickes class was launched on 24 July 1919. This program left the U.S. Navy with so many destroyers that no new destroyers were built until 1932.
Many Wickes-class destroyers were converted to other uses, starting as early as 1920, when 14 were converted to light minelayer
s. Six of these were scrapped in 1932, and replaced by five additional conversions. Another four were converted to auxiliaries or transports at that time. During the 1930s, 23 more were scrapped, sold off, or sunk as targets.
Starting in 1940, many of the remaining ships were also converted. Sixteen were converted to fast troop transports with the designation APD. Eight were converted to destroyer-minesweepers
(DMS). Most ships remaining in service during World War II were rearmed with dual-purpose 3"/50 caliber guns for better anti-aircraft protection. The AVD seaplane tender
conversions received 2 guns; the APD transport, DM minelayer, and DMS minesweeper conversions received 3 guns, and those retaining destroyer classification received 6. Also, half of the torpedo tubes were removed in those retained as destroyers; all torpedoes were removed from the others. Nearly all had half the boilers removed, for increased fuel and range, or to accommodate troops, reducing their speed to 25 knots (46 km/h).
The low-angle Mark 9 4" guns removed from these ships were transferred to defensively equipped merchant ships
for anti-submarine protection.
Thirteen Wickes class were lost during World War II in U.S. service. The remainder were scrapped in 1945 to 1947.
, in the Destroyers for Bases Agreement
. Most of these ships were refitted much like the U.S. destroyers and used as convoy escorts, but some were used very little and were not considered worth refitting. , renamed HMS Campbeltown, was disguised as a German vessel and expended as a blockship in the St Nazaire Raid. (The involved in the Japanese surrender formalities was a later ship.) One further destroyer was sunk; the remainder were scrapped in 1944 to 1947.
In 1944 seven were transferred by Britain to the Soviet navy, in place of Italian
ships claimed by the USSR after Italy's surrender. These vessels all survived the war, and were scrapped in 1949 to 1952.
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 built by 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...
in 1917-1919. Along with the 6 preceding Caldwell class
Caldwell class destroyer
The Caldwell class of destroyers 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...
and 155 subsequent 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...
destroyers, they formed the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" class. Only a few were completed in time to serve in 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...
. While some were scrapped in the 1930s, the rest served through World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Most of these were converted to other uses. Some were transferred to the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
, and a few of these were later transferred to the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
navy. All were scrapped within a few years after World War II.
Background
The destroyer type was at this time a relatively new class of fighting ship for the U.S. Navy. The type arose in response to torpedo boats that had been developing from 1865. During the Spanish-American WarSpanish-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...
, it was realized that a torpedo boat destroyer was urgently needed to screen the larger warships, so much so that a special war plans board headed by Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
issued an urgent report pleading for this type of ship.
A series of destroyers had been built over the preceding years, designed for high smooth water speed, with indifferent results. The results of these early destroyers was the appreciation of the need for true seakeeping and seagoing abilities. As a result, the size of U.S. destroyer classes increased steadily, starting at 450 tons and rising to over 1,000 tons between 1905 and 1916. The need for hulls large enough for high speed and heavy seas performance saw the inclusion of both oil fuel and reduction geared steam turbines.
A further need in the Navy was for scouting. There were few cruisers in the Navy, which was a fleet of battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s and destroyers. A report of October 1915 by Captain Sims noted that the smaller destroyers used fuel far too quickly, and that war games showed the need for fast vessels with a larger radius of action.
With World War I then in its second year and tensions between the U.S. and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
increasing, the U.S. needed to expand its navy. The Naval Appropriation Act of 1916 called for a navy "second to none," capable of protecting both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The Act authorized 10 battleships, 6 Lexington-class battlecruisers
Lexington class battlecruiser
The Lexington-class battlecruisers were the only class of battlecruiser to ever be ordered by the United States Navy.The Lexington class were the only class of U.S. Navy ships to be officially referred to as battlecruisers. The World War II-era , officially classified as "large cruisers", but some...
, 10 Omaha-class
Omaha class cruiser
The Omaha-class cruisers were a class of light cruisers built for the United States Navy. The oldest class of cruiser still in service with the Navy at the outbreak of World War II, the Omaha class was an immediate post-World War I design....
scout cruisers, and 50 Wickes-class destroyers.
Design
The requirements of the new design were high speed and mass production. The development of submarineSubmarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
warfare during World War I created a requirement for destroyers in numbers that had not been contemplated before the war. A top speed of 35 knots (68.6 km/h) was needed for operation with the Lexington battlecruisers and Omaha cruisers.
The final design had a flush deck and four smokestacks. It was a fairly straightforward evolution of the preceding Caldwell class. General dissatisfaction with the earlier "1,000 ton" designs (Cassin and Tucker classes) led to the fuller hull form of the "flush deck" type. Greater beam and the flush deck provided greater hull strength. In addition, the Wickes class had 26000 hp (5,000 more HP than the Caldwell class), providing an extra 5 knots (9.8 km/h).
The extra power required an extra 100 tons of engine and reduction gears. The design included an even keel and near horizontal propeller shafts to minimize weight.
Armament was the same as the Caldwell class: 4×4"/50 caliber guns and 12×21" torpedo tubes. While the gun armament was typical for destroyers of this period, the torpedo armament was larger than usual, in accordance with American practice at the time.
The Wickes class proved to be short-ranged, and its bridge and gun positions were very wet. The Clemson class added 100 tons of fuel tankage to improve operational range, but the issue of range was solved only with the development of at-sea refueling.
Production
The United States CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
authorized 50 destroyers in the 1916 Act. However, the realization of the scope of the U-boat campaign resulted in 111 being built. The ships were built at 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...
, Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Fore River Shipbuilding 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:...
, Mare Island Navy Yard, Newport News Shipbuilding, New York Shipbuilding
New York Shipbuilding
The New York Shipbuilding Corporation was founded in 1899 and opened its first shipyard in 1900. Located in Camden, New Jersey on the east shore of the Delaware River, New York Ship built more than 500 vessels for the U.S...
, 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...
. 267 Wickes and Clemson-class destroyers were built. This program was considered a major industrial achievement. Production of these destroyers was considered so important that work on cruisers and battleships was delayed to allowed completion of the program. The first Wickes class was launched on 11 November 1917, with four more by the end of the year. Production peaked in July 1918, when 17 were launched - 15 of them on 4 July.
The program continued after the war ended: 21 of the Wickes class (and all but 9 of the Clemson class) were launched after the armistice on 11 November 1918. The last of the Wickes class was launched on 24 July 1919. This program left the U.S. Navy with so many destroyers that no new destroyers were built until 1932.
In U.S. service
A few Wickes class were completed in time for service in World War I, some with the battle fleet, some on convoy escort duty; none were lost. ran aground in 1921; sank after a collision in 1922.Many Wickes-class destroyers were converted to other uses, starting as early as 1920, when 14 were converted to light minelayer
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
s. Six of these were scrapped in 1932, and replaced by five additional conversions. Another four were converted to auxiliaries or transports at that time. During the 1930s, 23 more were scrapped, sold off, or sunk as targets.
Starting in 1940, many of the remaining ships were also converted. Sixteen were converted to fast troop transports with the designation APD. Eight were converted to destroyer-minesweepers
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
(DMS). Most ships remaining in service during World War II were rearmed with dual-purpose 3"/50 caliber guns for better anti-aircraft protection. The AVD seaplane tender
Seaplane tender
A seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:...
conversions received 2 guns; the APD transport, DM minelayer, and DMS minesweeper conversions received 3 guns, and those retaining destroyer classification received 6. Also, half of the torpedo tubes were removed in those retained as destroyers; all torpedoes were removed from the others. Nearly all had half the boilers removed, for increased fuel and range, or to accommodate troops, reducing their speed to 25 knots (46 km/h).
The low-angle Mark 9 4" guns removed from these ships were transferred to defensively equipped merchant ships
Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships
Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship was an Admiralty Trade Division program established in June, 1939, to arm 5,500 British merchant ships with an adequate defence against enemy submarines and aircraft...
for anti-submarine protection.
Thirteen Wickes class were lost during World War II in U.S. service. The remainder were scrapped in 1945 to 1947.
In foreign navies
Twenty two Wickes class destroyers were transferred to the Royal Navy, and five to the Royal Canadian NavyRoyal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
, in 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...
. Most of these ships were refitted much like the U.S. destroyers and used as convoy escorts, but some were used very little and were not considered worth refitting. , renamed HMS Campbeltown, was disguised as a German vessel and expended as a blockship in the St Nazaire Raid. (The involved in the Japanese surrender formalities was a later ship.) One further destroyer was sunk; the remainder were scrapped in 1944 to 1947.
In 1944 seven were transferred by Britain to the Soviet navy, in place of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
ships claimed by the USSR after Italy's surrender. These vessels all survived the war, and were scrapped in 1949 to 1952.