Aylwin-class destroyer

Last updated
USS Aylwin (DD-47).jpg
USS Aylwin circa 1916–17
Class overview
NameAylwin class
Builders William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia
OperatorsFlag of the United States (1912-1959).svg  United States Navy
Preceded by Cassin class
Succeeded by O'Brien class
Built1912–14
In commission1913–22
Completed4
Retired4
General characteristics
Type Destroyer
Displacement
  • 1,036 tons (normal)
  • 1,165 (full load)
Length305 ft 3 in (93.04 m)
Beam30 ft 4 in (9.25 m)
Draft9 ft 5 in (2.87 m)
Installed power
Propulsion2 × shafts
Speed29.6 kn (54.8 km/h; 34.1 mph) (trials)
Capacity307 tons oil (fuel)
Complement
  • 8 officers
  • 8 Chief Petty Officers
  • 90 enlisted
Armament

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 five "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]

Contents

All four ships were built by William Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia. [2]

These ships were built concurrently with the Cassin class and in some references are considered to be in that class. In design and armament they were essentially repeats of the Cassin class. [1]

Design

Unlike the other "thousand tonner" classes, the Aylwins were not a significant improvement on the previous class. [1]

Armament

They retained the Cassins' armament of four 4-inch (102 mm)/50 caliber Mark 9 guns and eight 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes in twin broadside mounts. Compared with the previous Paulding class of the "flivver" type, the increased gun armament reflected the increasing size of foreign destroyers they might have to fight. The broadside (two twin mounts each side) torpedo armament reflected the General Board's desire to have some torpedoes remaining after firing a broadside. [3] The class was probably equipped with one or two depth charge racks each for anti-submarine convoy escort missions in World War I. [4] Benham was equipped with four twin 4-inch mounts in 1917, but these were replaced with single mounts before she deployed overseas. By 1929 all except Parker had a 3-inch (76 mm)/23 caliber anti-aircraft gun added. [2]

Engineering

The ships were equipped with four White-Forster boilers supplying steam to two Cramp direct-drive steam turbines driving two shafts for 16,000 shp (12,000 kW) as designed; all of the class exceeded this on trials. [5] Compound steam engines could be clutched to the shafts for economical medium-speed cruising. [1] Aylwin achieved 29.6 knots (54.8 km/h; 34.1 mph) on trials at 16,286  shp (12,144  kW ); this was typical for the others of the class. Normal fuel oil capacity was 307 tons. [5]

Benham in dazzle camouflage during World War I. USS Benham (DD-49).jpg
Benham in dazzle camouflage during World War I.

Ships in class

Ships of the Aylwin destroyer class [2]
NameHull no.ShipyardLaid downLaunchedCommissionedDecommissionedFate
Aylwin DD-47 William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia 7 March 191223 November 191217 January 191423 February 1921Scrapped 1935
Parker DD-48William Cramp & Sons11 March 19128 February 191330 December 19136 June 1922Scrapped 1935
Benham DD-49William Cramp & Sons14 March 191222 March 191320 Jan 19147 July 1922Scrapped 1935
Balch DD-50William Cramp & Sons7 May 191221 December 191226 March 191420 June 1922Scrapped 1935

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gardiner and Gray, p. 122
  2. 1 2 3 Bauer and Roberts, p. 170
  3. ↑ Friedman, pp. 28–29
  4. ↑ Friedman, p. 68
  5. 1 2 "Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1919". US Navy Department. 1918. pp. 62–67, 98–103. Retrieved 11 April 2016.

Bibliography

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