Fletcher-class destroyer

1. Lead

The Fletcher-class destroyer was the workhorse destroyer of the United States Navy in the Second World War, and the most numerous class of destroyers ever built by the United States. Designed in 1939 and built in large numbers during the war, the Fletcher class consisted of 175 ships, of which 155 were commissioned before the end of the war, and the class served in every theatre of the war, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and in every major battle, from Guadalcanal to Leyte Gulf to Okinawa. The Fletcher destroyers were fast, well armed and versatile: they screened aircraft carriers, they escorted convoys, they bombarded shore targets, they fought surface actions at night, and they rescued survivors from sunken ships, and they did all of these tasks with a crew of about 300 men, in a ship that was 114.8 metres long and that displaced about 2,050 tons. No other class of destroyers served in so many roles, and no other class was built in such numbers, and the Fletcher class remains, more than eighty years after its first ship was commissioned, the standard by which American destroyers are judged.

The Fletcher class was a product of the United States’ industrial power, and of the lessons that the US Navy had learned from its earlier destroyers, which had been limited by the Washington Naval Treaty and which had been too small, too lightly armed and too short-ranged for the Pacific War. The Fletcher was larger, it was faster, it carried more guns and more torpedoes, and it had a longer range, and it was built in shipyards from Bath to Seattle, in a programme that was the largest destroyer-building programme in history. The Fletcher destroyers were the ships that did the hard work of the Pacific War, and they were the ships that won it, not by a single battle, but by a thousand small actions, in which their crews fought with courage and with skill, and in which 19 Fletcher-class destroyers were lost, a price that the Navy paid for the class’s service.

2. Key Facts

Type	Destroyer
Origin	United States
Designer	US Navy Bureau of Construction and Repair
Builders	Bath Iron Works; Federal Shipbuilding; Bethlehem Steel; Seattle-Tacoma; and others (11 yards)
In service	1942–1971 (US Navy); later in other navies to the 1990s
Produced	1941–1945; 175 ships completed
Displacement	About 2,050 tons standard; about 2,940 tons full load
Length	114.8 m
Beam	12.1 m
Draught	About 5.5 m
Crew	About 273–336 (wartime)
Propulsion	2 × steam turbines, 60,000 shp; 4 boilers
Speed	About 35–38 knots
Range	About 6,500 nautical miles at 15 knots
Armament	5 × 127 mm guns; 10 × 533 mm torpedo tubes (2 × 5); 6 × 20 mm and 40 mm AA guns (varied)
Ships lost	19 lost in WWII

3. Background and Development

The Need for a New Destroyer

In 1939, when the US Navy began to design the Fletcher class, its destroyers were limited by the Washington Naval Treaty, which had limited destroyers to 1,500 tons, and which had produced ships that were too small, too lightly armed and too short-ranged for the Pacific War. The Navy’s earlier destroyers, the Benson and Gleaves classes, were good ships, but they were not large enough to carry the guns, the torpedoes and the anti-aircraft weapons that the Navy wanted, and they did not have the range to operate with the fast carrier task forces that the Navy was planning. The Bureau of Construction and Repair, which designed the Fletcher class, set out to build a destroyer that was larger, that was faster, that carried more guns and more torpedoes, and that had a longer range, and the Fletcher was the result: a destroyer of 2,050 tons standard displacement, with five 127 mm guns, ten torpedo tubes and a speed of about 35 knots, and with a range of about 6,500 nautical miles, which allowed it to operate with the carriers and to escort convoys across the Pacific.

Design and Authorisation

The Fletcher class was designed in 1939 and authorised by the Two-Ocean Navy Act of July 1940, the largest naval building programme in American history, and the design and the authorisation belong together, because the act turned a paper design into 175 ships built in 11 shipyards. The design answered the limits of the Washington Naval Treaty, which had held destroyers to 1,500 tons and produced ships too small, too lightly armed and too short-ranged for the Pacific War, and the Fletcher, at 2,050 tons standard displacement, carried five 127 mm guns, ten torpedo tubes and a speed of about 35 knots, with a range of about 6,500 nautical miles. The first ship, USS Fletcher, was laid down at Federal Shipbuilding in Kearny, New Jersey, in October 1941 and commissioned on 30 June 1942, followed by Radford, Jenkins and La Vallette, and by a further 151 ships in 1942, 1943 and 1944, until 155 had been commissioned before the end of the war. The speed of the programme was extraordinary, with more than 70 Fletcher-class destroyers commissioned in 1943 alone, built in sections, prefabricated and assembled on slipways by yards working around the clock. The sections below describe first the 1939 design, and then the building at eleven yards.

The 1939 Design

The Fletcher class was designed in 1939, and it was authorised by the Two-Ocean Navy Act of July 1940, which was the largest naval building programme in American history, and which authorised the construction of 175 Fletcher-class destroyers, although only 175 were actually built, and 155 were commissioned before the end of the war. The first Fletcher, USS Fletcher (DD-445), was laid down at Federal Shipbuilding in Kearny, New Jersey, in October 1941, and it was commissioned on 30 June 1942, six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and it was followed by USS Radford, USS Jenkins and USS La Vallette, which were commissioned in 1942, and by a further 151 ships that were commissioned in 1942, 1943 and 1944. The programme was a triumph of American industry: the ships were built in 11 shipyards, from Bath Iron Works in Maine to Seattle-Tacoma in Washington, and they were built in an average of about 12 months, which was fast for a ship of their size.

Building at Eleven Yards

The Fletcher destroyers were built at eleven shipyards, and their construction was a model of American industrial mobilisation. The ships were built in sections, which were prefabricated in workshops and then assembled on the slipway, and the shipyards worked around the clock, with three shifts, to complete the ships as quickly as possible. The speed of the programme was extraordinary: in 1943 alone, more than 70 Fletcher-class destroyers were commissioned, and by the end of 1944, 155 Fletcher-class destroyers were in service, which was more destroyers than the Japanese Navy had ever had, and which gave the United States a destroyer force that no other navy could match. The Fletcher class was the largest class of destroyers ever built by the United States, and it remains so today.

The Destroyer’s Many Roles

The Fletcher destroyers were designed to perform many roles, and they did: they screened aircraft carriers, they escorted convoys, they bombarded shore targets, they fought surface actions at night, they hunted submarines, and they rescued survivors from sunken ships. The destroyer was the workhorse of the Navy, and the Fletcher was the workhorse of the workhorses, a ship that could do anything, and that did everything, in the Pacific War. The Fletcher’s versatility was its greatest strength, and it was the reason why the class was built in such numbers, and why it served in every theatre of the war, and why it is remembered today as the standard American destroyer of the Second World War.

4. Design

Hull, Propulsion and Speed

The Fletcher class had a flush-deck hull, which meant that its main deck ran unbroken from bow to stern, and which gave the ship a clean, modern appearance, and which improved its seakeeping. The ship was 114.8 metres long, 12.1 metres wide, and it displaced about 2,050 tons standard and about 2,940 tons full load, and it was powered by two steam turbines, which gave a total of 60,000 shaft horsepower and a speed of about 35 to 38 knots, which was fast enough to keep up with the fast carrier task force and to outrun any Japanese surface ship, except for a destroyer. The ship’s range was about 6,500 nautical miles at 15 knots, which allowed it to operate with the carriers and to escort convoys across the Pacific, and its crew of about 273 to 336 men lived in the ship’s compartments, which were crowded, hot and noisy, and which were typical of a destroyer of the time.

Armament

The Fletcher class was armed to fight every kind of enemy it was likely to meet, and its armament was the reason it could screen a carrier, escort a convoy, bombard a shore, fight a surface action at night, hunt a submarine and rescue survivors, sometimes in the same battle. Its main armament was five 127 mm guns in five single mounts, two forward and three aft, firing a shell of about 25 kilograms to about 16,000 metres at about 15 rounds per minute, under a fire-control system that aimed them accurately even at night and in bad weather. Beside the guns stood ten 533 mm torpedo tubes in two quintuple mounts, the ship’s main weapon against surface ships, firing torpedoes with a range of up to 12,000 metres and a warhead of about 375 kilograms of explosive, the weapon that sank Japanese ships in the night actions in the Solomons and in the Philippines. The anti-aircraft guns, 40 mm Bofors and 20 mm Oerlikon weapons added during the war to meet the kamikaze threat, and the depth charges and Hedgehog mortars for use against submarines, completed an armament that could fight aircraft, surface ships and submarines at once. The sections below describe first the five 5-inch guns and ten torpedo tubes, and then the anti-aircraft and anti-submarine weapons.

Five 5-Inch Guns and Ten Torpedo Tubes

The Fletcher class was armed with five 127 mm (5-inch) guns, in five single mounts, two forward and three aft, which were used against surface ships, against aircraft and against shore targets, and which were the ship’s main armament. The guns could fire a shell of about 25 kilograms to a range of about 16,000 metres, and they could be fired at a rate of about 15 rounds per minute, and they were controlled by a fire-control system that allowed them to be aimed accurately, even at night and in bad weather. The ship also carried ten 533 mm torpedo tubes, in two quintuple mounts, which were its main weapon against surface ships, and which fired torpedoes with a range of up to 12,000 metres and a warhead of about 375 kilograms of explosive. The Fletcher’s guns and torpedoes made it a formidable opponent in a surface action, and it fought many such actions, at night, in the Solomons and in the Philippines, where its guns and torpedoes sank Japanese ships and where its crew fought with courage and skill.

Anti-Aircraft and Anti-Submarine Weapons

The Fletcher class was also armed with anti-aircraft guns, which were used against Japanese aircraft, and with depth charges and Hedgehog mortars, which were used against Japanese submarines. The anti-aircraft armament varied during the war, as the Navy added more guns to meet the kamikaze threat, and it included 40 mm Bofors guns and 20 mm Oerlikon guns, which were the ship’s main defence against aircraft, and which were manned by crews who fought kamikaze aircraft at close range, in the battles off Okinawa and in the Philippines. The ship’s anti-submarine weapons included depth charge racks and throwers, which dropped depth charges into the water, and Hedgehog mortars, which fired a pattern of small bombs ahead of the ship, and which were used to sink Japanese submarines. The Fletcher’s armament was versatile, and it allowed the ship to fight aircraft, surface ships and submarines, and to do so in the same battle, which was a task that no other ship could do as well.

Life Aboard a Fletcher Destroyer

Life aboard a Fletcher destroyer was hard, and it was typical of life aboard a destroyer. The crew of about 300 men lived in a ship that was 114.8 metres long and 12.1 metres wide, with compartments that were crowded, hot and noisy, and with bunks that were stacked three high, and with little privacy and with little fresh water. The men worked in shifts, around the clock, to keep the ship and its weapons ready for combat, and they ate in a mess deck that was crowded, and they slept in compartments that were hot and that smelled of fuel and of sweat. The men who served on a Fletcher destroyer were young, they were highly trained, and they knew that their ship was a target for Japanese aircraft, submarines and surface ships, and that their chances of survival depended on the skill of their captain and on the courage of their shipmates. The Fletcher destroyers were known as “tin cans” by their crews, because of their thin hulls, but their crews were proud of them, and they fought in them with a courage that is still remembered today.

5. Variants

The Fletcher Class and Its Successors

Variant	Years	Key features	Ships
Fletcher (as built)	1942–1945	5 × 127 mm guns; 10 torpedo tubes; 175 ships	175
Fletcher (late war)	1944–1945	More AA guns; reduced torpedo tubes on some ships	Included above
Fletcher (FRAM)	1950s–1960s	Post-war modernisation; ASW weapons; helicopter deck on some	Several
Allen M. Sumner	1943–1945	Successor; 6 × 127 mm guns in twin mounts; 58 ships	58
Gearing	1944–1946	Longer Sumner; 98 ships	98

The Fletcher class was produced in a single main variant, with only minor changes during production, as the Navy added more anti-aircraft guns to meet the kamikaze threat and as it changed the torpedo armament on some ships. The class was followed by the Allen M. Sumner class, which had six 127 mm guns in three twin mounts, and by the Gearing class, which was a longer version of the Sumner, and which was built in large numbers after the war. The Fletcher, Sumner and Gearing classes together formed the backbone of the US Navy’s destroyer force in the Second World War and in the Cold War, and they served in the Korean War, in the Vietnam War and in the Cold War, with some ships serving into the 1970s and 1980s. The Fletcher class was the first of the three, and it was the largest, with 175 ships, and it remains the most famous of the three, because it fought in the Pacific War and because it was the class that won it.

Post-War Service and FRAM

The Fletcher destroyers were built for the Second World War, but many of them served long after it, modernised for the Cold War and transferred to navies around the world, and their post-war service is a second career almost as long as their wartime one. Under the Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization programme, known as FRAM, many Fletcher-class destroyers received new anti-submarine weapons, new sonar and, on some ships, a helicopter deck, so that they could operate as anti-submarine destroyers in the Cold War, remaining in service into the 1960s and 1970s, with some serving in the Vietnam War, bombarding shore targets and escorting carriers as they had in the Second World War. Many others were transferred after the war to the navies of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Greece, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Taiwan and Turkey, where they served into the 1980s and 1990s, and where some are still preserved as museum ships, modernised and used to build the destroyer forces of those navies. The sections below describe first the modernisation of the 1950s and 1960s, and then the transfer to other navies.

Modernisation in the 1950s and 1960s

After the war, many Fletcher-class destroyers were modernised under the Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) programme, which gave them new anti-submarine weapons, new sonar and, on some ships, a helicopter deck, so that they could operate in the Cold War as anti-submarine destroyers. The FRAM programme allowed the Fletcher destroyers to remain in service into the 1960s and 1970s, and some of them served in the Vietnam War, where they bombarded shore targets and escorted carriers, just as they had in the Second World War. The Fletcher destroyers’ long service life is a measure of their success: they were built for the Second World War, but they were modernised and they served in two more wars, and they remained in service for almost thirty years, which is longer than any other class of destroyers built during the war.

Transfer to Other Navies

Many Fletcher-class destroyers were transferred to other navies after the war, including the navies of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Greece, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Taiwan and Turkey, where they served into the 1980s and 1990s, and where some of them are still preserved as museum ships. The transfer of Fletcher destroyers to other navies was a measure of the class’s success, and it ensured that the Fletcher class served in navies around the world, long after the Second World War had ended. The Fletcher destroyers that were transferred to other navies were modernised and they were used in the Cold War, and they were the ships that many navies used to build their destroyer forces, and they remain, in the museums that preserve them, a reminder of the class’s service in the Second World War and in the Cold War.

6. Operational History

Guadalcanal, 1942–1943

The Fletcher destroyers first saw combat at Guadalcanal, where they fought in the night surface actions that were the hardest fighting of the Pacific War. In the Battle of Tassafaronga in November 1942, the Fletcher destroyer USS Fletcher fought Japanese destroyers, and in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, the Fletcher destroyers USS Laffey and USS Barton fought Japanese battleships and cruisers, and Laffey was sunk and Barton was sunk, in actions that were among the most desperate of the war. The Fletcher destroyers at Guadalcanal escorted convoys, they bombarded Japanese positions on the island, they rescued survivors from sunken ships, and they fought Japanese destroyers at night, in actions in which their guns and torpedoes were used at close range, and in which their crews fought with a courage that is still remembered. Guadalcanal was the Fletcher class’s first test, and it passed it, even though the price was high, and even though 19 Fletcher destroyers would be lost in the war, most of them in the Solomons and in the Philippines.

The Central Pacific and Leyte Gulf

In 1943 and 1944 the Fletcher destroyers advanced across the central Pacific with the fast carrier task forces, and the work they did there, screening the Essex carriers, protecting them from Japanese aircraft and submarines, rescuing shot-down pilots and bombarding Japanese-held islands before American landings, was less dramatic than the night fighting at Guadalcanal but just as important, because the carriers could not have advanced without the destroyers that screened them. Their speed and their anti-aircraft guns made them ideal screens, and their crews worked around the clock to keep the carriers safe and their own ships ready for combat, in every battle from the Gilberts to the Marianas to the Philippines. The climax of this part of the war came in October 1944 at the Battle off Samar, where the Fletcher destroyers Hoel, Heermann and Johnston, with a small force of escort carriers, were attacked by a large Japanese force including the battleship Yamato, and charged the Japanese battleships firing guns and torpedoes, fighting so bravely that the Japanese, believing they faced a larger force, turned away. Johnston and Hoel were sunk and Heermann badly damaged, but the escort carriers were saved, and Commander Ernest Evans of Johnston was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. The sections below describe first the screening of the fast carriers, and then the Battle off Samar.

Screening the Fast Carriers

In 1943 and 1944, the Fletcher destroyers screened the fast carrier task forces, which were advancing across the central Pacific, and they protected the Essex carriers from Japanese aircraft and submarines, and they rescued pilots who had been shot down, and they bombarded Japanese-held islands before American landings. The Fletcher destroyers’ speed and their anti-aircraft guns made them ideal screens for the carriers, and their crews worked around the clock to keep the carriers safe, and to keep their own ships ready for combat. The Fletcher destroyers’ service in the central Pacific was less dramatic than their service at Guadalcanal, but it was just as important, because the carriers could not have advanced across the Pacific without the destroyers that screened them, and the Fletcher destroyers were the ships that did that screening, in every battle from the Gilberts to the Marianas to the Philippines.

The Battle off Samar

In October 1944, the Fletcher destroyers fought in the Battle off Samar, which was one of the most heroic actions in the history of the United States Navy. At Samar, a small force of American escort carriers and destroyers, including the Fletcher destroyers USS Hoel, USS Heermann and USS Johnston, was attacked by a large Japanese force, including the battleship Yamato, and the American destroyers charged the Japanese battleships, firing their guns and their torpedoes, and they fought so bravely that the Japanese, believing that they were facing a larger force, turned away. The Johnston, under Commander Ernest Evans, was sunk, and the Hoel was sunk, and the Heermann was badly damaged, but the escort carriers were saved, and the Japanese force retreated. The Battle off Samar is remembered as the battle in which destroyers fought battleships, and in which the Fletcher class proved its courage, and Commander Evans was awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously, for his actions.

Okinawa and the End of the War

In 1945, the Fletcher destroyers fought in the Battle of Okinawa, where they were attacked by kamikaze aircraft, and where they served on radar picket duty, which was the most dangerous duty in the Navy, because the picket destroyers were stationed far from the main fleet, to give early warning of Japanese aircraft, and they were the first ships that the kamikazes attacked. Several Fletcher destroyers were sunk by kamikazes at Okinawa, and many more were damaged, but the picket destroyers saved the carriers and the landing force, by giving them warning and by shooting down kamikaze aircraft before they could reach the main fleet. The Fletcher destroyers’ service at Okinawa was the last of their wartime service, and it was the hardest, and it was a reminder that the destroyer was the ship that did the hard work of the war, and that paid the highest price for it.

7. Performance and Specifications

Speed, Range and Armament

Specification	Fletcher-class
Displacement (standard)	About 2,050 tons
Displacement (full load)	About 2,940 tons
Length	114.8 m
Beam	12.1 m
Speed	About 35–38 knots
Range	About 6,500 nautical miles at 15 knots
Power	60,000 shp
Main guns	5 × 127 mm
Torpedo tubes	10 × 533 mm
Crew	About 273–336
Ships built	175
Ships lost	19

The table shows the Fletcher class’s strengths: it was fast, it had a long range, it carried a powerful armament of guns and torpedoes, and it was built in large numbers. The figures are the values most commonly given in the published histories, and they vary slightly between sources, because different ships were fitted with different equipment, and because the class was modified during the war. The reader should treat the numbers as approximate, and as a guide to the class’s capability rather than as exact measurements for a single ship.

Comparison with Japanese Destroyers

Compared with Japanese destroyers, the Fletcher class was larger, better armed and better protected, and it had better fire control, which allowed its guns to be aimed accurately at night and in bad weather. The Japanese destroyer Shimakaze, which was the fastest Japanese destroyer of the war, was 129.5 metres long, it displaced about 2,570 tons, it had a speed of about 39 knots, and it carried six 127 mm guns and 15 torpedo tubes, which was more torpedoes than the Fletcher, but the Shimakaze was built in only one example, while the Fletcher was built in 175 examples. The Japanese destroyers were built in small numbers, and they were lost, one after another, in the Solomons and in the Philippines, while the Fletcher destroyers were built in large numbers, and they survived, in large numbers, to the end of the war. The Fletcher class’s advantage was not only its design, but its numbers, and the industrial power that built it.

Why the Fletcher Was So Successful

The Fletcher class was successful because it was versatile, because it was built in large numbers, and because it was crewed by men who were well trained and who fought with courage. The Fletcher could screen a carrier, escort a convoy, bombard a shore, fight a surface action at night, hunt a submarine and rescue survivors, and it could do all of these tasks well, which was a versatility that no other destroyer could match. The Fletcher’s success is a reminder that a warship’s value is not only its design, but the men who crew it, and the tactics that are used to employ it, and the industrial system that builds it in large numbers. The Fletcher class is the standard by which American destroyers are judged, and it remains so today, more than eighty years after its first ship was commissioned.

The Mark 15 Torpedo

The Fletcher destroyers carried the Mark 15 torpedo, which was the standard torpedo of the United States Navy, and which had a range of up to 12,000 metres, a speed of up to 45 knots, and a warhead of about 375 kilograms of explosive. The Mark 15 was fired from the Fletcher’s ten torpedo tubes, in two quintuple mounts, and it was the destroyer’s main weapon against surface ships, and it was used in the night surface actions in the Solomons, where Fletcher destroyers fired torpedoes at Japanese ships at close range, and where they sank Japanese destroyers and cruisers. The Mark 15 torpedo was reliable, it was powerful, and it was available in large numbers, and it was the torpedo that the Fletcher destroyers used to win the surface actions that were the hardest fighting of the Pacific War, and that proved that the destroyer, which was the smallest ship in a fleet, could sink the largest.

8. Operators

The United States Navy

The Fletcher-class destroyers were used by the United States Navy, from 1942 to 1971, and they were the backbone of the Navy’s destroyer force in the Second World War, in the Korean War and in the Cold War. The destroyers were operated by the Pacific Fleet and by the Atlantic Fleet, and they were used in every major operation in which the United States Navy was involved, from Guadalcanal to Leyte Gulf to Okinawa, and from Korea to Vietnam. The Fletcher destroyers were American ships, built in American shipyards, crewed by American sailors, and they became a symbol of American naval power, and of the United States’ ability to build ships in large numbers and to use them to win wars. The Fletcher class is the most successful class of destroyers in American history, and it remains so today.

Other Users

The Fletcher-class destroyers were American ships, built in American shipyards and crewed by American sailors, but after the war they served in navies around the world, and their service in those navies is part of the class’s story. Many Fletcher-class destroyers were transferred after the war to the navies of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Greece, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Taiwan and Turkey, where they served into the 1980s and 1990s, modernised and used in the Cold War as the ships on which many navies built their destroyer forces, and where some of them are still preserved as museum ships. The most striking case is Japan, where the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force operated two Fletcher-class destroyers, Ariake and Yugure, transferred from the United States Navy in 1959 and serving until 1974, a symbol of the post-war alliance between the United States and Japan and of the Fletcher class’s service in the navy it had once fought against. The Japanese crews learned the ships’ history, preserved them as examples of American destroyer design and were proud to serve on ships that had fought in the Pacific War. The sections below look first at the transfer to Allied navies, and then at the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Transfer to Allied Navies

After the war, many Fletcher-class destroyers were transferred to other navies, including the navies of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Greece, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Taiwan and Turkey, where they served into the 1980s and 1990s, and where some of them are still preserved as museum ships. The transfer of Fletcher destroyers to other navies was a measure of the class’s success, and it ensured that the Fletcher class served in navies around the world, long after the Second World War had ended. The Fletcher destroyers that were transferred to other navies were modernised and they were used in the Cold War, and they were the ships that many navies used to build their destroyer forces, and they remain, in the museums that preserve them, a reminder of the class’s service in the Second World War and in the Cold War.

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force operated two Fletcher-class destroyers, Ariake and Yugure, which were transferred from the United States Navy in 1959, and which served until 1974, when they were decommissioned. The two ships were a symbol of the post-war alliance between the United States and Japan, and of the Fletcher class’s service in the navy that it had once fought against. The Japanese crews who served on the Fletcher destroyers learned the ships’ history, and they preserved them as examples of American destroyer design, and they were proud to serve on ships that had fought in the Pacific War. The Fletcher destroyers’ service in Japan is a reminder that wars end, and that former enemies can become allies, and that ships, like men, can serve in many navies and in many wars.

9. Legacy and Influence

The Standard American Destroyer

The Fletcher class’s legacy is, above all, its place as the standard American destroyer of the Second World War, and as the class by which all later American destroyers are judged. The Fletcher’s design — five 127 mm guns, ten torpedo tubes, a speed of 35 knots and a range of 6,500 nautical miles — became the standard for American destroyers, and it influenced the design of the Allen M. Sumner class, the Gearing class and the later classes of American destroyers, which are still in service today. The Fletcher class showed that a destroyer could be versatile, that it could perform many roles, and that it could be built in large numbers, and those lessons are still taught in naval schools today, and they are still followed by the navies that build destroyers.

The Battle off Samar

The Fletcher class’s most famous legacy is the Battle off Samar, in which the Fletcher destroyers USS Johnston, USS Hoel and USS Heermann charged Japanese battleships, including Yamato, and fought so bravely that the Japanese turned away. The battle is remembered as one of the most heroic actions in the history of the United States Navy, and it is taught in naval schools as an example of courage, of initiative and of the destroyer’s role in naval warfare. The Johnston‘s captain, Commander Ernest Evans, was awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously, and the Johnston itself was found on the seabed in 2019, at a depth of more than 6,000 metres, the deepest shipwreck ever found, and it is preserved as a memorial to the men who served on it and to the men who died on it. The Battle off Samar is the Fletcher class’s lasting legacy, and it is a reminder that destroyers, which are the smallest ships in a fleet, can fight the largest, and can win.

The Fletcher Class in Popular Culture

In popular culture the Fletcher class is remembered as the destroyers of the Pacific War, and it appears in films, in books and in television programmes about the war, where it is shown as the ships that did the hard work of the war. The Fletcher destroyer USS Kidd, which is preserved as a museum ship in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is one of the most visited naval museums in the United States, and it is visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year, who come to see the ship that fought in the Pacific War and to learn about the men who served on it. The Fletcher class’s place in popular culture is a measure of its fame, and it ensures that the class will be remembered, not only as a class of warships, but as a symbol of American naval power and of the Pacific War.

The Fletcher Class in Film

The Fletcher class appears in films about the Pacific War, including the film about the Battle off Samar, where the Fletcher destroyers Johnston, Hoel and Heermann are shown charging Japanese battleships, and where their courage is celebrated, and in the books about the war, where the Fletcher destroyers are described as the workhorses of the Navy, and as the ships that did the hard work of the war. The Fletcher class’s place in film is a measure of its fame, and it ensures that the class will be remembered, not only as a class of warships, but as a symbol of American naval power and of the Pacific War, and of the men who served on the destroyers, who were young, who were brave, and who fought in the hardest battles of the war, in ships that were called tin cans, but that were, in fact, among the best destroyers ever built.

10. Surviving Examples

The USS Kidd in Baton Rouge

Three Fletcher-class destroyers survive today as museum ships, and the most famous is USS Kidd (DD-661), which is preserved as a museum ship in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on the Mississippi River. The Kidd was commissioned in 1943, it fought in the Pacific War, it was hit by a kamikaze at Okinawa in April 1945, and it served in the Korean War, before it was decommissioned in 1964 and preserved as a museum in 1982. The Kidd is preserved in its wartime configuration, with its five 127 mm guns, its torpedo tubes and its anti-aircraft guns, and it is visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year, who come to see the ship and to learn about the Fletcher class and about the Pacific War. The Kidd is the only Fletcher-class destroyer preserved in its wartime configuration in the United States, and it is the best place to see a Fletcher destroyer as it was in the Second World War.

Other Museum Ships

Three Fletcher-class destroyers survive today as museum ships, and while USS Kidd in Baton Rouge is the most famous, the others are worth visiting in their own right, because each of them preserves a different part of the class’s story. USS The Sullivans in Buffalo, New York, named for the five Sullivan brothers killed when the cruiser USS Juneau was sunk at Guadalcanal, is preserved as a memorial to them and to the men who served on Fletcher destroyers, and USS Cassin Young in Boston, Massachusetts, is preserved at the Boston National Historical Park alongside USS Constitution. USS Laffey in Charleston, South Carolina, is often mentioned with them, although it is an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, not a Fletcher, and it is often confused with the Fletcher-class Laffey that was sunk at Guadalcanal. For most visitors the easiest way to see a Fletcher-class destroyer is to visit the Kidd in Baton Rouge, preserved in its wartime configuration, or the Sullivans in Buffalo or the Cassin Young in Boston, where the ships can be toured from the bridge to the engine room and their stories are told in full. The sections below describe first the Sullivans, Cassin Young and the others, and then how to see a Fletcher destroyer today.

The Sullivans, Cassin Young and Others

Other Fletcher-class destroyers preserved as museum ships include USS The Sullivans (DD-537) in Buffalo, New York, USS Cassin Young (DD-793) in Boston, Massachusetts, and USS Laffey (DD-724) in Charleston, South Carolina, although Laffey is an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, not a Fletcher, and it is often confused with the Fletcher-class Laffey (DD-459) that was sunk at Guadalcanal. The Sullivans was named for the five Sullivan brothers, who were killed when the cruiser USS Juneau was sunk at Guadalcanal, and it is preserved as a memorial to them and to the men who served on Fletcher destroyers. The Cassin Young is preserved at the Boston National Historical Park, where it is displayed alongside USS Constitution, and it is visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year. For most visitors, the easiest way to see a Fletcher-class destroyer is to visit the Kidd in Baton Rouge, the Sullivans in Buffalo or the Cassin Young in Boston, where the ships are preserved and where their stories are told in full.

Seeing a Fletcher Destroyer Today

For most visitors, the easiest way to see a Fletcher-class destroyer is to visit USS Kidd in Baton Rouge, where the ship is preserved in its wartime configuration, and where visitors can tour its compartments, from the bridge to the engine room, and can see its guns, its torpedo tubes and its anti-aircraft guns, and can learn about the men who served on it. Visitors who cannot travel to Baton Rouge can see a Fletcher destroyer at the Sullivans in Buffalo or at the Cassin Young in Boston, where the ships are preserved and where their stories are told. The Fletcher destroyers’ survival as museum ships ensures that the class will not be forgotten, and that future generations will be able to see, at first hand, the ships that did the hard work of the Pacific War.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Fletcher-class destroyer?
The Fletcher-class destroyer was the United States Navy’s destroyer of the Second World War, designed in 1939 and built in large numbers during the war. One hundred and seventy-five ships were completed, and 155 were commissioned before the end of the war.

How many Fletcher-class destroyers were built?
One hundred and seventy-five Fletcher-class destroyers were completed, of which 155 were commissioned before the end of the Second World War in August 1945.

How many Fletcher-class destroyers were lost?
Nineteen Fletcher-class destroyers were lost in the Second World War, most of them in the Solomons, in the Philippines and at Okinawa.

What happened at the Battle off Samar?
At the Battle off Samar in October 1944, the Fletcher destroyers USS Johnston, USS Hoel and USS Heermann charged Japanese battleships, including Yamato, and fought so bravely that the Japanese turned away. The Johnston and the Hoel were sunk.

Where can I see a Fletcher-class destroyer today?
Three Fletcher-class destroyers survive as museum ships: USS Kidd in Baton Rouge, USS The Sullivans in Buffalo and USS Cassin Young in Boston.

What guns did a Fletcher-class destroyer carry?
A Fletcher-class destroyer carried five 127 mm guns, ten 533 mm torpedo tubes and a number of 40 mm and 20 mm anti-aircraft guns.

Sources

1. Wikipedia, “Fletcher-class destroyer” — 175 ships completed, specifications, 19 ships lost and museum ships.
2. Naval History and Heritage Command, “Fletcher-class destroyers” — design, the Two-Ocean Navy Act and service history.
3. Norman Friedman, U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History (Naval Institute Press, 1982) — Fletcher design, armament and successors.
4. James D. Hornfischer, The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors (Bantam Books, 2004) — the Battle off Samar and the Fletcher destroyers.
5. Robert Lundgren, The Battle off Samar (Naval Institute Press, 2015) — the Fletcher destroyers at Samar.
6. USS Kidd Veterans Museum, Baton Rouge — USS Kidd and the Fletcher-class museum ships.