The Farragut-class destroyers were a class of eight 1,365-ton destroyers in the United States Navy and the first US destroyers of post-World War I design. Their construction, along with the, was authorized by Congress on 29 April 1916, but funding was delayed considerably. Limited to 1,500 tons standard displacement by the provisions of the London Naval Treaty of 1930, the ships were laid down beginning in 1932 and were completed by 1935. After 12 years since the last of the previous class of American destroyers (the) was commissioned, the Farraguts were commissioned in 1934 and 1935.
These ships were slightly larger than their predecessors, faster, and they had only two stacks, versus the four stacks common to all the earlier classes. The class was the first of six classes of 1,500-ton destroyers built in the 1930s to modernize the United States Navy, and all eight Farraguts saw extensive front-line service during World War II.[1] None were lost in battle, although only five survived the war. After numerous incremental improvements, the 1,500-tonners were succeeded by the 2,100-ton, which was not subject to treaty restrictions.
The Farraguts were a considerable improvement from previous destroyers, taking advantage of technological advances during the 12-year gap in destroyer production. The impact of aircraft on naval warfare was reflected in their heavy dual-purpose main gun armament. They also had greatly improved machinery and greater fuel capacity that extended their range to 5980nmi as opposed to the Clemsons .[2] [3] Their larger size and improved habitability soon earned them the nickname of "goldplaters" from the crews of older destroyers.[4]
The list of desired improvements compiled from the operational experience of the earlier and Clemson classes was both long and comprehensive. Both classes had pointed sterns that deeply dug into the water, greatly increasing turning diameter.[5] [6] This was addressed with the transom stern design of the Farragut class. The previous classes were flush deck designs; while providing good hull strength, this proved to be wet in high seas.[5] [6] This was addressed with the raised forecastle employed on the Farragut class. Cruising range on both the Wickes and Clemson classes had been a constant affliction of commanders; the Clemsons had been built with wing tanks giving better range, but at the cost of having high mounted fuel oil on both sides—a decidedly vulnerable feature in a ship without an armored belt such as a destroyer.[7] The Farragut class corrected this range deficiency by having a design range of as opposed to the Clemson's .[7] [3] Steady improvements to both boilers and steam turbines in the years between the Clemson and Farragut designs allowed this improved range, along with greater speed and a reduction from 4 to 2 stacks.
The success of the efforts become clear with the testimony of Rear Admiral Emory S. Land, head of the Bureau of Construction and Repair, to the General Board, comparing the Farragut class to the Wickes and Clemson classes. Those advantages were:
This had all been accomplished on a displacement rise of only 22%.[8]
The Farragut-class destroyers were considered unstable in heavy weather and in turns. This was compounded by war-time modifications that made them even more top-heavy. Two of the destroyers, Hull and Monaghan, sank as a result of the December 1944 typhoon. One of the survivors stated
A court of inquiry after the loss concluded that [the] basic stability of the Farragut-class ships "is materially less than other destroyers."[9]
The Farragut-class propulsion plant was considerably improved over the Clemson-class. Steam pressure and temperature were raised from 300psi saturated steam to 400psi steam superheated to 648°F. Superheated steam increased the efficiency of the turbines, improving the ships' range. This was the first use of superheaters in a US destroyer. Economizers were also fitted; these used boiler exhaust gas to preheat the feedwater before it entered the boiler; these increased the ships' range by requiring less fuel to boil the water to steam.[10] The Farraguts turbines were Parsons-type reaction turbines manufactured by Bethlehem Steel. Each main turbine was divided into a high-pressure and a low-pressure turbine feeding into a common reduction gear to drive a shaft,[11] in a similar manner to the machinery illustrated below and at the following reference.[12] This general arrangement became standard for most subsequent steam-powered surface ships of the US Navy. Single-reduction gearing (as in the Clemsons) was used on the Farraguts; the s and later classes had double-reduction gearing, which reduced the required size of the (then faster spinning) turbines still further.[10]
All ships were present at the attack on Pearl Harbor, where sank a Japanese midget submarine.[1] Three of the class were lost in the war: ran aground in Alaskan waters in January 1943 and became a total loss, while and Monaghan were lost in Typhoon Cobra in December 1944. The remaining five ships survived World War II; they were broken up for scrap shortly after the end of the war.
| Hull no. | Builder | Laid Down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DD-348 | Fore River Shipbuilding | 20 September 1932 | 15 March 1934 | 18 June 1934 | 23 October 1945 | data-sort-value="1947" | Scrapped 1947 | ||
| DD-349 | Bath Iron Works | 16 December 1932 | 28 July 1934 | 4 October 1934 | 19 October 1945 | data-sort-value="1946" | Scrapped 1946 | ||
| DD-350 | Brooklyn Navy Yard | 7 March 1933 | 31 January 1934 | 11 January 1935 | data-sort-value="17 December 1944" | Lost in Typhoon Cobra, 17 December 1944 | |||
| DD-351 | Boston Navy Yard | 15 May 1933 | 22 August 1934 | 15 March 1935 | 22 October 1945 | data-sort-value="1946" | Scrapped 1946 | ||
| DD-352 | Puget Sound Navy Yard | 29 December 1932 | 27 October 1934 | 15 January 1935 | data-sort-value="12 January 1943" | Grounded near Amchitka, Alaska, 12 January 1943 | |||
| DD-353 | Brooklyn Navy Yard | 10 February 1934 | 23 January 1935 | 17 June 1935 | 16 October 1945 | data-sort-value="1946" | Scrapped 1946 | ||
| DD-354 | Boston Navy Yard | 21 November 1933 | 9 January 1935 | 19 April 1935 | data-sort-value="17 December 1944" | Lost in Typhoon Cobra, 17 December 1944 | |||
| DD-355 | Philadelphia Navy Yard | 23 September 1933 | 10 July 1934 | 1 March 1935 | 16 October 1945 | data-sort-value="1946" | Scrapped 1946 |
