USA (1916-46) O-1 to O-16, small oceanic submersibles The “O” class USN submersibles were of group of 16 boats completed late in WWI. They missed the great war, being commissioned shortly before of after the armistice. The interwar saw them still active, modernized for some and some were still around in WW2 as training submarines. … Read more
US Navy Fleet Destroyers (1942-80s): 58 Ships; DD-692 to DD-790 The Sumner were about the last US destroyers of WW2 to see significant service. Their near-sisters, the Gearing class, were completed in the dying days or postwar. Above all, the Allen M. Sumner class destroyers marked a true break with the rather excellent and mass-produced … Read more
US Navy 174 Fleet Destroyers (1942-44) (no list submitted). The Fletchers are probably the best-remembered destroyers of the USN during the second world war. Not only by numbers as they embodied the United States’s industrial might in wartime but also because they arrived soon enough to make a difference in the Pacific, with significant combat … Read more
Fleet Destroyers (1939-70s) – 66 destroyers: USS Gleaves, Niblack, Livermore, Eberle, Plunkett, Kearny, Gwin, Meredith, Grayson, Monssen, Woolsey, Ludlow, Edison, Ericsson, Wilkes, Nicholson, Swanson, Ingraham. Sub-class Bristol: USS Bristol, Ellyson, Hambleton, Rodman, Emmons, Macomb, Forrest, Fitch, Corry, Hobson, Aaron Ward, Buchanan, Duncan, Lansdowne, Lardner, McCalla, Mervine, Quick, Carmick, Doyle, Endicott, McCook, Frankford, Davison, Edwards, Glennon, … Read more
Benson class Destroyers (1939-41) US Navy Fleet Destroyers (1938-70s) – 30 destroyers: Benson, Mayo, Madison, Lansdale, Hilary P. Jones, Charles F. Hughes, Laffey, Woodworth, Farenholt, Bailey, Bancroft, Barton, Boyle, Champlin, Meade, Murphy, Parker, Caldwell, Coghlan, Frazier, Gansevoort, Gillespie, Hobby, Kalk, Kendrick, Laub, MacKenzie, McLanahan, Nields, Ordronaux USS Benson (DD-421) as completed. The Benson class were … Read more
Sims class Destroyers (1938) US Navy Fleet Destroyers (1937-47): USS Sims, Hugues, Anderson, Hamman, Mustin, Russel, O’Brien, Walke, Morris, Roe, Wainwright, Buck These 12 ships were the last US prewar destroyers class (completed before Dec. 1941). They marked a turning point, leaving behind theoretical considerations and naval staff ideas for a more pragrmatic approach, both … Read more
Des Moines class cruisers (1947) USA (1945-58) USS Des Moines, Newport News, Salem. Dallas and 8 more cancelled Dec. 1945 The Des Moines-class were the last planned conventional heavy cruisers of the U.S. Navy heavy, designed as successors to the Baltimore, stretched and improved in every way. Laid down in 1945, only three on the … Read more
Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) (1942) US Navy Infantry Landing Ships (1936-46): 923 built, operated 1943-1965 D-Day Special ! The Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) was the Allies main specialized Infantry landing Craft, capable of offshore travel but to land troops directly onto beaches, developed like the LST in response to a British request for a better … Read more
Benham class Destroyers (1938) US Navy Fleet Destroyers (1936-46): USS Benham, Ellet, Lang, Mayrant, Trippe, Rhind, Rowan, Stack, Sterett, Wilson DD-397 to DD-408 The Benham-class destroyers were essentiall a repeat of the previous Gridley-Bagley classes, sporting the same impressive sixteen torpedo battery and four main guns, single funnel. They shared the same hull and the … Read more
Somers class Destroyers (1937) US Navy Large Destroyers (1937-48): USS Somers, Warrington, Sampson, Davis, Jouett, DD-381-86 The Somers-class were a class five large destroyers built for the United States Navy in the 1930s, large fleet destroyers as the previous Porter, intended to deal with the Japanese “special types”. Named after naval heroes they were commissioned … Read more
