ABOUT

As the Navy's first Fletcher-class destroyers, these sister ships, built side-by-side and launched in 1942, share a valiant story storming in and out of battle and coasting tranquil seas.

SISTER SHIPS

Sisters in War • Sisters in Peace: the tale of two U.S. Navy destroyers sharing the same Fletcher-class DNA, birthed in Bath, Maine in 1942. Their hearts beat with a spirit of youthful vitality, readiness, sober tension and courage. Crews for three decades took pride in what these sibling ships accomplished in times of war and in times of peace.

USS Nicholas (DD-449)

USS O’Bannon (DD-450)​

For heroic actions in the Pacific Theater both were honored with Presidential Unit Citations.

Historical records and personal accounts tell a gripping story of sailors under siege, in battle,

to-the-rescue. Their home aboard these sister ships holds a legacy of brotherhood, action and honor.

Sisters in War, Sisters in Peace is a literary work (in progress) that will follow
these two WWII Fletcher Destroyers based on Naval documents, historical and personal accounts.
Feel free to contact John Bailey with any comments, corrections or contributions.

"With little time to rest or to overhaul, and with a great variety of missions to accomplish, our destroyers, generally, have performed magnificently, and with little of the publicity which has accompanied the exploits of other units of the Naval Service. Our destroyers have truly been the silent part of our service, but their exploits and their capabilities are well known to those who have to know."

Admiral Chester Nimitz
Pearl Harbor
January 29, 1944