Farragut-class destroyer (1934)

The "Farragut"-class destroyers were a class of eight 1,365-ton destroyers in the United States Navy and the first US destroyers of post-World War I design. Their construction, along with the , was authorized by Congress on 29 April 1916, but funding was delayed considerably. Limited to 1,500 tons standard displacement by the provisions of the London Naval Treaty of 1930, the ships were laid down beginning in 1932 and were completed by 1935. After 12 years since the last of the previous class of American destroyers (the ) was commissioned, the "Farragut"s were commissioned in 1934 and 1935.
These ships were slightly larger than their predecessors, faster, and they had only two stacks, versus the four stacks common to all the earlier classes. The class was the first of six classes of 1,500-ton destroyers built in the 1930s to modernize the United States Navy, and all eight "Farragut"s saw extensive front-line service during World War II. None were lost in battle, although only five survived the war. After numerous incremental improvements, the 1,500-tonners were succeeded by the 2,100-ton , which was not subject to treaty restrictions.
Design.
The "Farragut"s were a considerable improvement from previous destroyers, taking advantage of technological advances during the 12-year gap in destroyer production. The impact of aircraft on naval warfare was reflected in their heavy dual-purpose main gun armament. They also had greatly improved machinery and greater fuel capacity that extended their range to as opposed to the "Clemson"s . Their larger size and improved habitability soon earned them the nickname of "goldplaters" from the crews of older destroyers.
The list of desired improvements compiled from the operational experience of the earlier and "Clemson" classes was both long and comprehensive. Both classes had pointed sterns that deeply dug into the water, greatly increasing turning diameter. This was addressed with the transom stern design of the "Farragut" class. The previous classes were flush deck designs; while providing good hull strength, this proved to be wet in high seas. This was addressed with the raised forecastle employed on the "Farragut" class. Cruising range on both the "Wickes" and "Clemson" classes had been a constant affliction of commanders; the "Clemson"s had been built with wing tanks giving better range, but at the cost of having high mounted fuel oil on both sides—a decidedly vulnerable feature in a ship without an armored belt such as a destroyer. The "Farragut" class corrected this range deficiency by having a design range of as opposed to the "Clemson's" . Steady improvements to both boilers and steam turbines in the years between the "Clemson" and "Farragut" designs allowed this improved range, along with greater speed and a reduction from 4 to 2 stacks.
The success of the efforts become clear with the testimony of Rear Admiral Emory S. Land, head of the Bureau of Construction and Repair, to the General Board, comparing the "Farragut" class to the "Wickes" and "Clemson" classes. Those advantages were:
This had all been accomplished on a displacement rise of only 22%.
The "Farragut"-class destroyers were considered unstable in heavy weather and in turns. This was compounded by war-time modifications that made them even more top-heavy. Two of the destroyers, "Hull" and "Monaghan", sank as a result of the December 1944 typhoon. One of the survivors stated
A court of inquiry after the loss concluded that [the] basic stability of the "Farragut"-class ships "is materially less than other destroyers."
Engineering.
The "Farragut"-class propulsion plant was considerably improved over the "Clemson"-class. Steam pressure and temperature were raised from saturated steam to steam superheated to . Superheated steam increased the efficiency of the turbines, improving the ships' range. This was the first use of superheaters in a US destroyer. Economizers were also fitted; these used boiler exhaust gas to preheat the feedwater before it entered the boiler; these increased the ships' range by requiring less fuel to boil the water to steam. The "Farragut"s turbines were Parsons-type reaction turbines manufactured by Bethlehem Steel. Each main turbine was divided into a high-pressure and a low-pressure turbine feeding into a common reduction gear to drive a shaft, in a similar manner to the machinery illustrated below and at the following reference. This general arrangement became standard for most subsequent steam-powered surface ships of the US Navy. Single-reduction gearing (as in the "Clemson"s) was used on the "Farragut"s; the s and later classes had double-reduction gearing, which reduced the required size of the (then faster spinning) turbines still further.
Service.
All ships were present at the attack on Pearl Harbor, where sank a Japanese midget submarine. Three of the class were lost in the war: ran aground in Alaskan waters in January 1943 and became a total loss, while and "Monaghan" were lost in Typhoon Cobra in December 1944. The remaining five ships survived World War II; they were broken up for scrap shortly after the end of the war.