Gearing-class destroyer

The Gearing-class destroyer was the final and most capable class of American fleet destroyers built during the Second World War, an improved version of the Allen M. Sumner class with a longer hull that carried more fuel for extended Pacific operations. Ninety-eight ships were completed between 1945 and 1946, and although most arrived too late for combat in the Second World War, the class served for decades afterwards, fighting in Korea and Vietnam, undergoing the FRAM modernisation programme, and serving in many foreign navies into the twenty-first century.

1. Key Facts

Field	Value
Type	Fleet destroyer
Country	United States
Service period	1945–1983 (US Navy); foreign service into the 2000s
Ships completed	98
Displacement	2,616 tons standard; 3,460 tons full load
Length	390.5 feet (119 metres)
Beam	40.9 feet (12.5 metres)
Propulsion	2 steam turbines, 60,000 shaft horsepower, 2 shafts
Speed	35 knots (65 km/h)
Range	About 4,500 nautical miles at 20 knots
Crew	About 336 officers and men
Main armament	6 × 5-inch (127 mm) guns in three twin mounts
Torpedo armament	10 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Anti-aircraft armament	12 × 40 mm Bofors guns; 11 × 20 mm Oerlikon guns (as built)
Anti-submarine weapons	Depth charges, Hedgehog, later ASROC after FRAM
Main theatres	Pacific (Second World War); Korea; Vietnam; Cold War

2. Development and Design

Origins in the Allen M. Sumner Class

The Gearing class grew directly out of the Allen M. Sumner class, which had entered service in 1944 as an improvement on the earlier Fletcher class, with twin 5-inch gun mounts and twin rudders for better manoeuvrability. The Sumner design was well regarded, but the United States Navy wanted a destroyer with greater range for operations across the vast distances of the Pacific Ocean, where ships often sailed for weeks between fuel stops. The solution was simple and elegant: lengthen the hull by 14 feet amidships, between the two funnels, and use the extra space for additional fuel tanks. The result was the Gearing class, named after the lead ship USS Gearing, which was laid down in August 1944 at the Bath Iron Works in Maine. The longer hull increased fuel capacity by roughly 30 per cent and extended range to about 4,500 nautical miles at 20 knots, a major improvement that made the class far more useful for sustained Pacific patrols and for escort duty with fast carrier task forces.

The Pacific War Requirement

The requirement for longer range came directly from the experience of the Pacific war, where American destroyers had to cover enormous distances between bases at Pearl Harbor, Ulithi, and Leyte Gulf. Destroyers refuelled from oilers at sea, but every refuelling was a vulnerable operation, and ships with short legs spent more time tied to the fleet train than fighting. The Navy therefore ordered the lengthened design in large numbers, and twelve shipyards eventually built Gearings, including Bath Iron Works, Federal Shipbuilding, Bethlehem Steel, and Todd Pacific. Production was so rapid that ships were launched within months of being laid down, and the Navy accepted them as quickly as the yards could finish them, although the war ended before most could see combat.

Hull, Machinery, and Layout

The Gearing hull was a flush-deck design with a pronounced sheer forward, built for high speed in heavy seas and for the shock of depth-charge explosions. Propulsion came from four Babcock and Wilcox boilers feeding two General Electric or Westinghouse geared steam turbines, producing 60,000 shaft horsepower and driving the ship at 35 knots. The machinery spaces were arranged in the unit system, with boiler rooms and engine rooms alternating, so that a single hit could not knock out all power. The bridge, gun director, and radar masts were placed forward, with two funnels amidships, and the twin 5-inch mounts were arranged with two forward and one aft. This layout gave the class a balanced appearance and good arcs of fire, and it remained the standard arrangement through the FRAM refits of the 1960s, when much of the anti-aircraft armament was replaced by anti-submarine weapons.

3. Technical Specifications

Guns and Torpedoes

As built, the Gearing class carried six 5-inch/38 calibre dual-purpose guns in three twin mounts, the standard American destroyer gun of the war, capable of engaging surface targets and aircraft. The guns were controlled by the Mark 37 fire-control system, with radar ranging, and they could fire about 15 rounds per minute per barrel. Ten 21-inch torpedo tubes in two quintuple mounts gave the ships a heavy torpedo broadside, although torpedoes became less important after the war as the anti-submarine role took over. Anti-aircraft defence was provided by twelve 40 mm Bofors guns in twin and quad mounts, plus eleven 20 mm Oerlikon cannon, a dense battery that reflected the kamikaze threat of 1945. Depth-charge racks at the stern and K-gun projectors along the sides provided the anti-submarine armament, and some ships carried the Hedgehog ahead-throwing mortar, which fired a pattern of small bombs ahead of the ship.

Sensors and Fire Control

The Gearings were fitted with the best sensors available in 1945, including SC and SG surface-search radar, Mark 12 and Mark 22 fire-control radar, and the QC series sonar for submarine detection. The combat information centre below the bridge collected radar, sonar, and radio reports and presented them on plotting tables, allowing the captain to coordinate gunnery, torpedo attacks, and anti-submarine work. This sensor fit was advanced for its day and was repeatedly upgraded during the Cold War, when the ships received new sonar, electronic warfare equipment, and, in the FRAM refits, the SQS-23 sonar and the ASROC anti-submarine rocket launcher. The longevity of the class owed much to this ability to accept new equipment without major structural change.

Performance and Handling

The Gearing class was fast, seaworthy, and popular with its crews, who valued the extra space that the lengthened hull provided. At 35 knots the ships could keep up with the fast carrier task forces, and their turning circle was tight enough for effective anti-submarine work. The twin rudders inherited from the Sumner class gave good control at low speed, which mattered when manoeuvring alongside oilers or picking up survivors. Fuel consumption at cruising speed was economical for a ship of this size, and the extra bunkerage meant that Gearings could remain on station longer than their predecessors, a quality that proved valuable in the long patrols off Korea and Vietnam. The ships were also relatively dry, with a flared bow that kept green water off the forecastle, although like all destroyers they rolled heavily in a beam sea.

4. Combat Service

The Second World War

Only a handful of Gearings reached the fleet before Japan surrendered in August 1945, and none saw significant combat in the Second World War. USS Gearing herself was commissioned in May 1945 and was still working up when the war ended, and most of her sisters were commissioned in the months after the surrender. The class therefore missed the war it was built for, but it arrived in time for the long Cold War that followed, and its numbers meant that the United States Navy entered the post-war period with a large force of modern destroyers. Several ships were placed in reserve soon after completion, while others joined the Atlantic and Pacific fleets for training and patrol duties, and the class became the backbone of the destroyer force throughout the late 1940s.

Korea and the Cold War Patrols

The Korean War of 1950–1953 gave the Gearings their first combat, with ships of the class providing naval gunfire support along the Korean coast, screening carriers, and patrolling the Formosa Strait. Their 5-inch guns were used to bombard shore targets, to support amphibious landings such as Inchon, and to interdict enemy supply routes, and the ships earned battle stars for their service. After Korea, the Gearings settled into the routine of Cold War patrols, shadowing Soviet submarines and surface ships, serving in the Mediterranean with the Sixth Fleet, and operating in the Atlantic and Pacific on exercises that tested anti-submarine tactics. The class also served in the naval quarantine during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when American destroyers stopped and searched Soviet merchant ships.

Vietnam and Later Service

In Vietnam, Gearings served on the gun line off the Vietnamese coast, firing thousands of rounds in support of ground troops, and on Operation Market Time, the coastal patrol that sought to stop infiltration by sea. Their long endurance suited the months-long deployments, and their guns were valued by troops ashore who called for fire support. By the 1970s the class was ageing, and ships were gradually decommissioned, with the last American Gearing, USS William C. Lawe, leaving service in 1983. Many ships were transferred to foreign navies, including those of Taiwan, Turkey, Greece, Spain, Brazil, and Mexico, where some served into the 2000s, a remarkable lifespan of more than half a century for a wartime design.

5. Variants

The FRAM Modernisation

The most important variant of the Gearing class was the FRAM, or Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernisation, programme of the early 1960s, which rebuilt many ships for anti-submarine warfare. FRAM I Gearings received the ASROC launcher, the DASH drone helicopter system, new sonar, and a helicopter deck, while one 5-inch mount and the torpedo tubes were removed to make room. FRAM II was a less extensive refit that kept the guns and added improved sonar and electronics. The FRAM ships served for another decade or more and were the standard American anti-submarine destroyers of the 1960s, hunting Soviet submarines in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

Radar Picket and Other Conversions

A small number of Gearings were converted to radar picket destroyers, designated DDR, with enlarged radar and extra communications equipment to provide early warning of air attack for carrier task forces. Others served as plane guard destroyers, as training ships for the Naval Reserve, or as test platforms for new equipment. After decommissioning, several ships were converted into museum ships or used as targets, and a few were sunk as artificial reefs. The variety of conversions showed the flexibility of the basic design, which could accept new roles without losing its essential qualities as a fast, seaworthy escort.

Foreign Service Variants

Ships transferred abroad were often modernised by their new owners, receiving new guns, missiles, and electronics that extended their lives well beyond American service. Taiwan operated Gearings fitted with anti-ship missiles, and the Turkish Navy kept several in service into the early 2000s. These foreign variants sometimes looked very different from the original 1945 design, with lattice masts, missile launchers, and modern radars, but the hull and machinery remained those of the wartime Gearing, a testament to the soundness of the original engineering.

6. Strengths

Range, Speed, and Seakeeping

The great strength of the Gearing class was its combination of speed, range, and seakeeping in a single hull. At 35 knots it could operate with the fastest ships in the fleet, and its 4,500-nautical-mile range allowed it to stay on station far longer than earlier destroyers. The lengthened hull also improved habitability, giving the crew more space and better accommodation, which mattered on long Cold War deployments. These qualities made the class the preferred destroyer for carrier escort and for independent patrol, and they explain why the Navy kept Gearings in service for nearly forty years while earlier classes were retired.

Firepower and Flexibility

The six 5-inch guns gave the Gearing a powerful surface and anti-aircraft battery, and the ships proved effective in the shore bombardment role in Korea and Vietnam, where their guns were in constant demand. The class also accepted new weapons readily, from ASROC to helicopters, and its size allowed it to carry the sensors and equipment that smaller destroyers could not. This flexibility was the reason the FRAM programme chose the Gearing hull, and it allowed a Second World War design to remain useful against the submarine threat of the 1960s and 1970s.

Numbers and Availability

With 98 ships completed, the Gearing class was available in large numbers, which meant that the Navy could deploy them worldwide and could afford to modernise some while others remained in service. The large class size also simplified training, maintenance, and the supply of spare parts, since crews and dockyards knew the design well. Foreign navies valued the class for the same reason, and the transfer of surplus Gearings helped to build the naval forces of American allies during the Cold War.

7. Weaknesses

Late Arrival and Obsolete Anti-Aircraft Armament

The main weakness of the Gearing class was that it arrived too late for the war it was designed to fight, and its anti-aircraft armament was already becoming obsolete as jet aircraft appeared. The 40 mm and 20 mm guns that had been effective against propeller-driven kamikazes were of limited use against jets, and the class never received guided missiles in American service, unlike the newer destroyers built in the 1950s. The ships therefore depended on their guns and on the air cover of the carriers they escorted, and they were vulnerable to air attack when operating alone.

Ageing Machinery and High Manning

By the 1970s the Gearing machinery was old, and maintenance became increasingly expensive as boilers and turbines wore out and spare parts grew scarce. The ships also required a crew of more than 300 men, a large complement by later standards, when newer ships with gas turbines and automation needed far fewer sailors. The cost of manning and maintaining the class was a major reason for its retirement, and the Navy replaced Gearings with the Spruance class, which was larger, more capable, and far less demanding in manpower.

Limited Anti-Submarine Capability Before FRAM

Before the FRAM refits, the Gearing anti-submarine armament was essentially that of 1945, with depth charges and Hedgehog, which were inadequate against fast nuclear submarines. The ships needed the FRAM modernisation to remain useful, and those that did not receive it were retired early. Even after FRAM, the class lacked the towed sonar arrays and the advanced processing of later designs, and it was eventually outclassed by purpose-built anti-submarine escorts. The ships also lacked a helicopter in their original fit, which meant they could not prosecute a distant submarine contact without closing to weapon range, a limitation that the FRAM refits addressed by adding a flight deck and the DASH drone helicopter system.

8. Comparison with Rivals

Against the Fletcher and Allen M. Sumner Classes

Compared with the Fletcher class, the Gearing was larger, longer-ranged, and better armed, with twin 5-inch mounts instead of single mounts and a more modern fire-control system. Compared with the Sumner, the difference was smaller, since the Gearing was essentially a stretched Sumner, but the extra fuel capacity gave it a clear advantage in endurance, and the Navy preferred the Gearing for Pacific service. The Fletcher remained the most numerous American destroyer class of the war, with 175 ships, but the Gearing was the more capable ship, and it outlasted the Fletcher in service by decades.

Against British and Japanese Destroyers

Against British destroyers such as the Battle class, the Gearing was comparable in armament but superior in range and in anti-aircraft fire control, reflecting the American emphasis on carrier escort. Against Japanese destroyers such as the Akizuki class, the Gearing had heavier guns and better radar, although the Japanese ships carried the powerful Long Lance torpedo, which the American ships could not match. In the Cold War, the Gearing compared well with Soviet destroyers of the Kotlin and Kashin classes, which were faster in some cases but lacked the Gearing’s versatility and its capacity for modernisation.

Against Post-War Designs

Against the post-war Forrest Sherman class, the first American destroyers designed after the war, the Gearing was older and less well armed for anti-aircraft work, but it was available in far greater numbers and it proved easier to modernise. The Forrest Shermans were built in small numbers and were retired earlier than many Gearings, which shows that a sound wartime design, built in quantity, could outlast a more modern but smaller class. The Gearing was eventually replaced by gas-turbine destroyers, but its long service remains a measure of its quality.

9. Legacy

The Longest-Serving American Destroyer Design

The legacy of the Gearing class is its extraordinary longevity, with American service lasting until 1983 and foreign service continuing into the twenty-first century. Few wartime designs served for so long, and the class became a familiar sight in navies around the world, from the Mediterranean to the Taiwan Strait. The ships trained generations of sailors, took part in two wars and countless crises, and proved that a well-designed hull could adapt to roles its designers never imagined. Several Gearings survive as museum ships, including USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. in Massachusetts, where visitors can walk the decks of a destroyer that served from 1945 to 1973.

Influence on Later Destroyer Design

The Gearing experience influenced later American destroyer design, particularly the emphasis on range, on flexible weapons fits, and on the value of building a class in large numbers. The FRAM programme showed that modernisation could extend a ship’s life by decades, a lesson that the Navy applied to later classes, and the Gearing’s service in foreign navies demonstrated the value of transferring surplus warships to allies. The class is remembered as the last and best of the American wartime destroyers, a ship that missed one war but served through two more and through the whole of the Cold War.

Remembering the Gearing Class

For historians, the Gearing class marks the peak of the American wartime destroyer programme, the point at which the design had matured into a fast, long-ranged, well-armed escort that could do almost any job asked of it. The ships are remembered not for a single famous battle, but for decades of steady service in war and peace, and for the crews who served in them from the Pacific to the Persian Gulf. The Gearing class deserves its place in naval history as a workhorse design that did its duty for longer than any of its contemporaries.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Gearing-class destroyers were built?
Ninety-eight ships were completed between 1945 and 1946, making the Gearing the second-largest American destroyer class of the war after the Fletcher class, which numbered 175 ships.

When did the Gearing class enter service?
The lead ship, USS Gearing, was commissioned in May 1945, just months before the end of the Second World War, and most of her sisters were commissioned in late 1945 and 1946.

What was the main difference from the Allen M. Sumner class?
The Gearing hull was 14 feet longer amidships, which allowed for extra fuel tanks and increased range by about 30 per cent, to roughly 4,500 nautical miles at 20 knots.

Did Gearings fight in the Second World War?
Almost none saw combat in the Second World War, since they were completed too late, but they fought in Korea and Vietnam and served throughout the Cold War.

What was the FRAM programme?
FRAM, or Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernisation, was a 1960s refit that rebuilt Gearings for anti-submarine warfare, adding ASROC, new sonar, and helicopter facilities.

When was the last Gearing retired?
The last American Gearing, USS William C. Lawe, was decommissioned in 1983, although ships transferred to foreign navies served into the 2000s.

Sources

• Norman Friedman, U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History (1982)
• The Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
• Robert Gardiner, Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1922–1946 (1980)
• The National Museum of the United States Navy, destroyer collection
• Al Adcock, U.S. Destroyers in Action (1984)