Destroyer Displacement: 2,050 tons (standard) 2,500 tons (full load) Length: 376.5 ft (114.8 m) Beam: 39.5 ft (12.0 m) Draft: 17.5 ft (5.3 m) Propulsion: 60,000 shp (45 MW); 4 oil-fired boilers; 2 geared steam turbines; 2 screws Speed: 36.5 knots (67.6 km/h; 42.0 mph) Range: 5,500 miles at 15 knots (8,850 km at 28 km/h) Complement: 329 officers and men Armament: 5 × single 5 inch (127 mm)/38 caliber guns 6–10 × 40 mm Bofors AA guns (early ships carried 4 × 1.1 inch (28 mm) automatic cannon (1 × 4)) 7–10 × 20 mm Oerlikon cannons, 10 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (2 × 5; Mark 15 torpedoes) 6 × K-gun depth charge projectors 2 × depth charge racks. Source: Wikipedia

Video: Fletcher-class destroyers

More: Fletcher-class destroyers

Designed in 1939, the Navy commissioned 175 Fletcher-class destroyers between 1942 and 1944, more than any other destroyer class. The Fletcher design, larger than previous classes of destroyers, incorporated defense capabilities with speed. Fletchers top speed of 38 knots was fearsome and an armament of five 5″ guns in single mounts with 10 21″ torpedoes in two quintuple centerline mounts were destroyer-worthy but once in battle it was determined more fighting power was needed.

Source: Naval Historical Foundation

Bath Iron Works (BIW) worked together with marine architects Gibbs & Cox to perfect the Fletcher-class destroyer design

USS Nicholas (DD-449) and USS O'Bannon (DD-450) under construction at Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, 1 January 1941.

Source: NavSource Naval History Photographic History of the United States Navy

BIW’s first contract was for six Fletcher-class hulls to be built in pairs—

Nicholas (DD-449) - O’Bannon (DD-450) Chevalier (DD-451) - Strong (DD-467)

Taylor (DD-468) - DeHaven (DD-469)

Chevalier (DD-451) laid down 30 April 1941 . . . SCUTTLED 7 Oct 1943 after being torpedoed and accidentally rammed.

Strong (DD-467) laid down 30 April 1941 . . . SUNK 5 July 1943, day before Battle of Kula Gulf

De Haven (DD-469) laid down 27 Sept.1941 . . . SUNK 1 Feb 1943 167 killed and 38 wounded

Taylor (DD-468) laid down 26 August 1941. . . on 23 Aug Taylor and her sisters Nicholas and O'Bannon formed the screen of Halsey’s flagship Missouri (BB-63)

CDR Lewis Corman, CDR J. M. Kiernan, Edward B. Tryon, Mrs. Edward B. Tryon (descendant of Samuel Nicholas) LCDR W. D. Brown and Mr. A. M. Main, vice president of Bath Iron Works at USS Nicholas (DD-449) Christening, Bath, Maine, 19 February 1942.

Source: NavSource Naval History Photographic History of the United States Navy