The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia: Wickes Class, U.S.

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Specifications:

The Wickes were the first of two major groups of “flush-deck” destroyers ordered by the United States during World War I. Also known as “four-stackers,” they were essentially a mass production version of the Caldwells. (For example, Ward commissioned in just 70 days.) However, they were given more powerful machinery, which was intended to give them the speed to keep up with the Omaha-class scout cruisers and the (never-completed) Constellation-classbattle cruisers. Because of the urgency placed on rapidly expanding the destroyer force, the Navy deliberately chose a familiar design with acceptable characteristics rather than a more innovative design resembling the new British "V&W" destroyers. As a result, these ships were already obsolescent when they joined the fleet in 1918-1920.

The ships had a serious reputation for rolling, and the "V" form adopted for the stern, while improving range, also made the ships very unmaneuverable, with a tactical diameter of 860 yards, which was about 40 to 50 percent greater than contemporary British destroyers. It was also discovered that the endurance varied greatly among units of the class. Those built at the Cramp or Bath yards exceeded requirements, while those built at Mare Island had little more than half the endurance of the Cramp and Bath ships in spite of being built to a nominally identical design. A proposal to replace one boiler with a fuel tank was rejected and the units with the poor range were the first to be retired.

The Wickes and succeedingClemson classes were produced in such huge numbers that the United States had the largest destroyer force in the world by the time of the Washington naval conference. However, this posed a serious block obsolescence problem, which the Navy sought to mitigate through various modernization schemes; by laying up many of the ships in reserve; and by converting others to auxiliary duty as minecraft or fast transports. Some were turned over to the Coast Guard for use on the "Rum Runner" patrol. The availability of so many destroyers also meant that new destroyer construction came to a halt until 1930, and when it finally resumed, priority was put on flotilla leaders. These became the template for the more powerful mass production fleet destroyers of the Second World War.

Although 32 had been scrapped by 1940, so desperate were the Allies for destroyers in 1941 that the remaining ships constituted a significant part of their destroyer flotillas. Some 22 were transferred to the British as part of the destroyers-for-bases agreement that prefigured Lend-Lease.

The fast transport conversions were considered a success in the South Pacific, and additional units were converted, both from the Wickes and from other destroyer and destroyer escort classes.

Units in the Pacific:

As light minelayers:

As fast minesweepers:

As destroyer-transports:

Photo Gallery

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References

DANFS

Friedman (2004)

Whitley (1988)

Worth (2001)

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