Mahan-class destroyer

Mahan-class destroyer

The Mahan-class destroyers of the United States Navy were a series of 18 destroyers. The first 16 were laid down in 1934 and the last two, Dunlap and Fanning, are sometimes considered a separate ship class. All 18 were commissioned in 1936 and 1937. Six ships were lost in combat and two were expended in the postwar Operation Crossroads nuclear tests. The remainder were decommissioned, sold, or scrapped after the war; none remain today.

About Mahan-class destroyer in brief

Summary Mahan-class destroyerThe Mahan-class destroyers of the United States Navy were a series of 18 destroyers. The first 16 were laid down in 1934 and the last two, Dunlap and Fanning, are sometimes considered a separate ship class. All 18 were commissioned in 1936 and 1937. The Mahans featured improvements over previous destroyers, with 12 torpedo tubes, superimposed gun shelters, and generators for emergency use. The class introduced a new steam propulsion system that combined increases in pressure and temperature with a new type of lightweight steam turbine, which proved simpler and more efficient than the Mahans’ predecessors. Six ships were lost in combat and two were expended in the postwar Operation Crossroads nuclear tests. The remainder were decommissioned, sold, or scrapped after the war; none remain today. Collectively, the ships received 111 battle stars for their World War II service. They were powered by General Electric geared steam turbines, driving two shafts that developed a total of 46,000 shaft horsepower for a maximum speed of 37 knots. Four Babcock & Wilcox or four Foster Foster water-heated steam needed for the turbines. The Mahan carried a maximum of 5,23 long tons, with a range of 6,940 nautical miles at 12 knots. Their peacetime complement was 158 officers and enlisted men, and their wartime complement increased to approximately 250 officers and enlistment men. The ships were built to the same standard as the Farragut class, which had been built in the 1930s and 1940s.

The standard displacement increased from 1,365 tons to 1,500 tons. The traditional destroyer machinery was replaced with anew generation of land-based machinery. This change ushered in a newSteam propulsion system. The steam pressure was raised from 400 psi to 465 psi in some ships and the superheated temperature was raised to 700°F in all ships. This improved the anti-aircraft field of fire, and allowed the ships to be more effective against aircraft and submarines. In silhouette, they were similar to the larger Porter- class destroyers that immediately preceded them. TheMahans typically had a tripod foremast with a pole mainmast. To improve theAnti-Aircraft Field of Fire, their tripod fore mast was constructed without nautical rigging, and they were fitted with the first emergency generators, which replaced the storage batteries of earlier classes. All five 5 in38s were kept and remained dual purpose guns, able to target aircraft as well as ships, but only No. 1 and No. 2 had gun shields. No. 3 gun was moved to the aft deckhouse to make room for the third quadruple torpedo tube; the two middle torpedo tubes were moved to the sides, and released the centerline space for extension of the aft Deckhouse. The overall length of the class was 341 feet 3 inches and the beam was 35 feet 6 inches, and the draft 10 feet 7 inches.