John Paul Jones 1956
Forrest Sherman 1963
Somers 1968
Decatur 1979
Barry 1979
Forrest Sherman 1979
Barry 1981
| No | Name | Yard No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comm | Fate |
| DD931 | Forrest Sherman | 324 | Bath Iron Wks | 27.10.1953 | 5.2.1955 | 9.11.1955 | stricken 7.1990 |
| DD932, 3.1967- DDG32 | John Paul Jones | 325 | Bath Iron Wks | 18.1.1954 | 7.5.1955 | 5.4.1956 | stricken 3.1986 |
| DD933 | Barry | 326 | Bath Iron Wks | 15.3.1954 | 1.10.1955 | 31.8.1956 | stricken 1.1983 |
| DD936, 9.1966- DDG31 | Decatur | 1648 | Bethlehem, Quincy | 13.9.1954 | 15.12.1955 | 7.12.1956 | stricken 3.1988 |
| DD937 | Davis | 1649 | Bethlehem, Quincy | 1.2.1955 | 28.3.1956 | 28.2.1957 | stricken 7.1990 |
| DD938 | Jonas Ingram | 1650 | Bethlehem, Quincy | 15.6.1955 | 8.7.1956 | 19.7.1957 | stricken 6.1983 |
| DD940 | Manley | 327 | Bath Iron Wks | 10.2.1955 | 12.4.1956 | 1.2.1957 | stricken 6.1990 |
| DD941 | Du Pont | 328 | Bath Iron Wks | 11.5.1955 | 8.9.1956 | 1.7.1957 | stricken 6.1990 |
| DD942 | Bigelow | 329 | Bath Iron Wks | 6.7.1955 | 2.2.1957 | 8.11.1957 | stricken 6.1990 |
| DD943 | Blandy | 1651 | Bethlehem, Quincy | 29.12.1955 | 19.12.1956 | 26.11.1957 | stricken 7.1990 |
| DD944 | Mullinix | 1652 | Bethlehem, Quincy | 5.4.1956 | 18.3.1957 | 7.3.1958 | stricken 7.1990 |
| DD945 | Hull | 330 | Bath Iron Wks | 12.9.1956 | 10.8.1957 | 3.7.1958 | stricken 11.1983 |
| DD946 | Edson | 331 | Bath Iron Wks | 3.12.1956 | 4.1.1958 | 3.4.1959 | stricken 1.1989 |
| DD947, 3.1967- DDG34 | Somers | 332 | Bath Iron Wks | 4.3.1957 | 30.5.1958 | 9.4.1959 | stricken 4.1988 |
| DD948 | Morton | 1019 | Ingalls, Pascagoula | 4.3.1957 | 23.5.1958 | 26.5.1959 | stricken 2.1990 |
| DD949, 3.1967- DDG33 | Parsons | 1020 | Ingalls, Pascagoula | 17.6.1957 | 19.8.1958 | 29.10.1959 | stricken 5.1984 |
| DD950 | Richard S. Edwards | Puget Sound N Yd, Bremerton | 20.12.1956 | 24.9.1957 | 5.2.1959 | stricken 2.1990 | |
| DD951 | Turner Joy | Puget Sound N Yd, Bremerton | 30.9.1957 | 5.5.1958 | 3.8.1959 | stricken 2.1990 |
|
Displacement standard, t |
2800 |
|
Displacement full, t |
4916 |
|
Length, m |
124.1 wl 127.6 oa |
|
Breadth, m |
13.7 |
|
Draught, m |
4.60 |
|
No of shafts |
2 |
|
Machinery |
DD931, 932: 2 sets Westinghouse geared steam turbines, 4 Babcock & Wilcox boilers DD933, 938, 943 - 951: 2 sets General Electric geared steam turbines, 4 Babcock & Wilcox boilers DD936, 937: 2 sets Westinghouse geared steam turbines, 4 Foster Wheeler boilers DD940 - 942: 2 sets General Electric geared steam turbines, 4 4 Foster Wheeler boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
70000 |
|
Max speed, kts |
33 |
|
Fuel, t |
oil 500 |
| Endurance, nm(kts) | 4500 (20) |
|
Armament |
DD931, 932: 3 x 1 - 127/54 Mk 42, 2 x 2 - 76/50 Mk 33, 4 - 533 TT, 2 x 3 - 324 Mk 32 TT, 2 x 24 - 178 Mk 15 Hedgehog ASWRL, 1 DCR DD933, 936-938, 940-951: 3 x 1 - 127/54 Mk 42, 2 x 2 - 76/50 Mk 33, 2 x 3 - 324 Mk 32 TT, 2 x 24 - 178 Mk 15 Hedgehog ASWRL, 1 DCR |
|
Electronic equipment |
SPS-6, SPS-10, SPG-53A, Mk 35 radars, SQS-4 sonar, WLR-1, WLR-3, ULQ-6 ECM suites |
|
Complement |
324 |
Project history: These were the only postwar general-purpose gun-armed destroyers, intended originally as a mobilization version of the expensive Mitscher class (1950). However, when a Gibbs and Cox study showed that a simplification of the sophisticated construction of the earlier design would result in a 5000t ship, a new design was begun, concentrating more on anti-aircraft firepower than on ASW. In the end, even a trainable Hedgehog was given up, as it would have required extra length. It appears that the unusual gun arrangement, two aft and one forward, was adopted for dryness; in addition it was well suited for antiaircraft defence. Given the high rate of fire of the automatic Mk 42 gun mounting in these ships, their battery was more than equivalent to that of the earlier Gearing class, although this was not evident at the time.
From DD 936 onwards the sheer line was raised 0.9m at the bow for additional dryness; the first ships (FY53 group) were too far along to be modified. ASW weapons were fixed Hedgehogs and four long torpedo tubes, as well as a dropping system (succeeded by the familiar Mk 32 triple tubes) for lightweight torpedoes. However, the Bureau of Ordnance abandoned long torpedoes for surface ships in about 1956, and only the first two units were completed as planned.
By 1954 the state of destroyer and escort development was sufficiently confused to require special analysts, and a Committee of the Long Range Shipbuilding and Conversion Plan proposed the abandonment of general-purpose destroyer construction in favour of a combination of fast task force escorts (which became the Farragut), fast ASW escorts (a proposed 'corvette' conversion of the Bensons and austere ocean escorts (destroyer escorts such as the Dealeys). In fact Forrest Sherman class construction was soon terminated in favour of a missile-armed equivalent, the Charles F. Adams class, with eighteen general-purpose escorts completed.
Modernizations: 1966, Decatur; 1967, John Paul Jones: were converted to guide missile destroyers with armament consisted of 1 x 1 Tartar SAM (40 RIM-24), 1 x 8 ASROC ASuR (16 RUR-5), 1 x 1 - 127/54 Mk 42, 2 x 3 - 324 Mk 32 TT, SPS-29, SPS-40, SPS-48, SPS-10, SPG-51C, SPG-53B radars, SQS-23 sonar, WLR-1, WLR-3, ULQ-6 ECM suites
1967, Parsons: was converted to guide missile destroyer with armament consisted of 1 x 1 Tartar SAM (40 RIM-24), 1 x 8 ASROC ASuR (16 RUR-5), 1 x 1 - 127/54 Mk 42, 2 x 3 - 324 Mk 32 TT, SPS-29, SPS-48, SPS-10, SPG-51C, SPG-53B radars, SQS-23 sonar, WLR-1, WLR-3, ULQ-6 ECM suites
1967, Somers: was converted to guide missile destroyer with armament consisted of 1 x 1 Tartar SAM (40 RIM-24), 1 x 8 ASROC ASuR (16 RUR-5), 1 x 1 - 127/54 Mk 42, 2 x 3 - 324 Mk 32 TT, SPS-40, SPS-48, SPS-10, SPG-51C, SPG-53B radars, SQS-23 sonar, WLR-1, WLR-3, ULQ-6 ECM suites
1967-1971, Barry, Davis, Manley: were converted to ASW destroyers with armament consisted of 1 x 8 ASROC ASuR (20 RUR-5), 2 x 1 - 127/54 Mk 42, 2 x 3 - 324 Mk 32 TT, 2 x 24 - 178 Mk 15 Hedgehog ASWRL, 1 DCR, SPS-37, SPS-10, SPG-53A radars, SQS-23, SQS-35 sonars, WLR-1, WLR-3, ULQ-6 ECM suites
1967-1971, Jonas Ingram, Du Pont, Blandy, Morton, Richard S. Edwards: were converted to ASW destroyers with armament consisted of 1 x 8 ASROC ASuR (20 RUR-5), 2 x 1 - 127/54 Mk 42, 2 x 3 - 324 Mk 32 TT, 2 x 24 - 178 Mk 15 Hedgehog ASWRL, 1 DCR, SPS-40, SPS-10, SPG-53A radars, SQS-23, SQS-35 sonars, WLR-1, WLR-3, ULQ-6 ECM suites
1967-1971, Forrest Sherman, Hull: - 1 x 2 - 76/50, SPS-6 radar, SQS-4 sonar; + SPS-40 radar, SQS-23 sonar
1967-1971, Turner Joy: - 2 x 2 - 76/50, SPS-6 radar, SQS-4 sonar; + SPS-40 radar, SQS-23 sonar
1967-1971, Bigelow: - 2 x 2 - 76/50, SPS-6 radar, SQS-4 sonar; + SPS-37 radar, SQS-23 sonar
1967-1971, Edson: - 1 x 2 - 76/50, SPS-6 radar, SQS-4 sonar; + SPS-37 radar, SQS-23 sonar
1967-1971, Mullinix: - 1 x 2 - 76/50, SPS-6 radar, SQS-4 sonar; + SPS-12 radar, SQS-23 sonar
Naval service: No significant events.
Barry 1971
Turner Joy 1980
Parsons 1980
© Ivan Gogin, 2015