USS Bell (DD-95)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Bell.

History
United States
Namesake	Henry H. Bell
Builder	Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts
Cost	$1,369,775.92 (hull and machinery) [1]
Laid down	16 November 1917
Launched	20 April 1918
Commissioned	31 July 1918
Decommissioned	21 June 1922
Stricken	25 January 1937
Fate	Sold, 18 April 1939
General characteristics
Class and type	Wickes-class destroyer
Displacement	1,202–1,208 long tons (1,221–1,227 t) (standard) 1,295–1,322 long tons (1,316–1,343 t) (deep load)
Length	314 ft 4 in (95.8 m)
Beam	30 ft 11 in (9.42 m)
Draught	9 ft 10 in (3.0 m)
Installed power	27,000  shp (20,000 kW) 4 water-tube boilers
Propulsion	2 shafts, 2 steam turbines
Speed	35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) (design)
Range	2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km; 2,900 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) (design)
Complement	6 officers, 108 enlisted men
Armament	4 × single 4-inch (102 mm) guns 2 × single 1-pounder AA guns 4 × triple 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes 2 × depth charge rails

USS Bell (DD-95) was a Wickes-class destroyer built for the United States Navy during World War I.

Description

The Wickes class was an improved and faster version of the preceding Caldwell-class. Two different designs were prepared to the same specification that mainly differed in the turbines and boilers used. The ships built to the Bethlehem Steel design, built in the Fore River and Union Iron Works shipyards, mostly used Yarrow boilers that deteriorated badly during service and were mostly scrapped during the 1930s. ^[2] The ships displaced 1,202–1,208 long tons (1,221–1,227 t) at standard load and 1,295–1,322 long tons (1,316–1,343 t) at deep load. They had an overall length of 314 feet 4 inches (95.8 m), a beam of 30 feet 11 inches (9.4 m) and a draught of 9 feet 10 inches (3.0 m). They had a crew of 6 officers and 108 enlisted men. ^[3]

Performance differed radically between the ships of the class, often due to poor workmanship. The Wickes class was powered by two steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by four water-tube boilers. The turbines were designed to produce a total of 27,000 shaft horsepower (20,000 kW) intended to reach a speed of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph). The ships carried 225 long tons (229 t) of fuel oil which was intended gave them a range of 2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km; 2,900 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). ^[4]

The ships were armed with four 4-inch (102 mm) guns in single mounts and were fitted with two 1-pounder guns for anti-aircraft defense. Their primary weapon, though, was their torpedo battery of a dozen 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes in four triple mounts. In many ships a shortage of 1-pounders caused them to be replaced by 3-inch (76 mm) anti-aircraft (AA) guns. ^[2] They also carried a pair of depth charge rails. A "Y-gun" depth charge thrower was added to many ships. ^[5]

Construction and career

Bell, named for Rear Admiral Henry H. Bell, was launched 20 April 1918 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts; sponsored by Mrs. Josephus Daniels, wife of the Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels, and commissioned 31 July 1918.

On 5 August 1918 she damaged the steam lighter Cornelia in a collision. Cornelia had to be beached on Deer Island, in the harbor at Boston, Massachusetts. ^[6] From August to November 1918 Bell convoyed troop ships across the North Atlantic and in December formed part of the escort for George Washington carrying President Woodrow Wilson from New York to Brest, France. Bell continued serving with the Atlantic Fleet until placed in reserve in June 1920. She was decommissioned at Portsmouth Navy Yard 21 June 1922. Bell remained out of commission until August 1936 when she was declared in excess of the limits imposed by the London Naval Treaty of 1930 and reduced to a hulk. She was subsequently sold.

Notes

1. "Table 21 - Ships on Navy List June 30, 1919". Congressional Serial Set. U.S. Government Printing Office: 762. 1921.
2. Gardiner & Gray, p. 124
3. Friedman, pp. 401–03
4. Friedman, pp. 39–42, 401–03
5. Friedman, p. 45
6. "Records of the T. A. Scott Company, Inc". Mystic Seaport Museum. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2021.

References

• Friedman, Norman (1982). U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN   0-87021-733-X.
• Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN   0-85177-245-5.
• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .The entry can be found here.

External links

• NavSource Photos