The Fletcher class was the first generation of destroyers designed after the series of naval treaties that had limited ship designs heretofore. Thereafter, some were sold to the navies of Argentina, Brazil, Greece, Ecuador, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey and Uruguay, served through the 1990s. Three twin 5in (127mm)/38 caliber Mark 38 dual purpose (DP) mounts constituted the main battery. the Sumner at Federal Shipbuilding. Three (Pringle, Stevens and Halford) were built with aircraft catapults after deletion of the rear torpedo tube mount and the number 3 5-inch gun mount. DM23 Conversion, 1954 BuShips Proposed Air [1][2][3], Following World War II most of the class had their AA and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) armament upgraded. [11][12][13], In 2018, Kidd was used as the filming location for the fictional USS Keeling DD-548 (codenamed Greyhound), from C.S. Army's past use of DASH. weapon of the original Fletchers). The design parameters were the armaments desired of the next destroyer. the Hunter Killer and an AE, Plans for installation of a lightweight anchor, 1947 BuShips DD-692 Class Electrical 31 vessels were authorized on 9 July 1942: 4 vessels were authorized on 13 May 1942: 3 vessels were authorized on 27 March 1943 under the VinsonTrammell Act: 114 vessels were authorized on 19 July 1943 under the 70% Expansion Act: (Of the missing numbers in this sequence - 722 to 741, 744 to 762, 770 to 781, and 857 were allocated to orders for Allen M. Sumner-class destroyers; 792 to 804 were awarded to orders for Fletcher-class destroyers.). . Thanks in part to the 12-month post-commissioning delay in converting these early Gearings, they did not begin arriving in the war zone until late June, joining fast carrier task forces only in time for screening and plane-guard duty during the final air raids of the war. Mess Deck All FRAM IIs retained two Hedgehogs alongside either the No. Bureau of Ships' "Spring This was possibly due to inadequate maintenance support, as other services had few difficulties with DASH. This plan was completed the day the Keel was laid for DD-809 to DD-811 awarded to Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine. Keels for Lansdale (DD 766) and Seymour D. Owens (DD 767) were laid down at Bethlehem Steel, San Francisco, April 2 and 3 1944. [citation needed], The Gyrodyne QH-50C DASH was an unmanned anti-submarine helicopter, controlled remotely from the ship. These had the same ASW armament as a Gearing FRAM destroyer, with the addition of improved sonar and a piloted helicopter, initially the Kaman SH-2 Seasprite, and from 1984, the Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk. these plans, thanks to Ed Zajkowski, display examples of this detail work. The Gearing class is a group of 98 destroyers built for the US Navy during and shortly after World War II. One depth charge rack was removed and two Hedgehog ASW mortar mounts added. With ASROC continuing to provide a standoff ASW capability, the Gearing FRAM Is were retained in service for several years, with most being decommissioned and transferred to foreign navies 19731980. Since then, the ship has been refloated and restoration of the ship's electric system and interior spaces is ongoing.[28]. Other notable changes are a modified bridge arrangement and two twin 40mm They were replaced as ASW ships by the Spruance-class destroyers, which were commissioned 1975-83. Under the most advanced Wu Chin III upgrade program, all World War II vintage weapons were removed and replaced with four Hsiung Feng II surface-to-surface missiles, ten SM-1 (box launchers), one 8-cell ASROC, one 76mm (3in) Otobreda gun, two Bofors 40mm AA, one 20 mm Phalanx CIWS and two triple 12.75in (324mm) torpedo tubes. (815 and 816 later cancelled). // -->