Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War

United States Navy — Destroyer class

Benson-class destroyer

Benson class

The class in numbers

  • 30 Completed
  • 4 Lost

Design and service

Type
Destroyer
Navy
United States Navy
Built
1938–43
In commission
1940–51
Preceded by
Sims-class destroyer
Succeeded by
Gleaves-class destroyer
Operators
Taiwan
Builders
  • Bethlehem
  • Fore River, MA (8)
  • Staten Island, NY (5)
  • San Pedro, CA (4)
  • San Francisco, CA (9)
  • Boston Navy Yard, MA (2)
  • Charleston Navy Yard, SC (1)
  • Puget Sound Navy Yard, WA (1)
Subclasses
Bristol class, Artigliere class

Class specifications

Figures for the class as designed. Individual vessels varied, sometimes considerably — each vessel page carries its own configurations.

As built
Displacement, standard
1,620 long tons (1,646 t)
Displacement, full load
2,474 long tons (2,514 t)
Length
106.07 m (348 ft) OA
Speed
37.5 knots (69.5 km/h, 43.2 mph)
Complement
208
Main gun
127 mm (5 in)
Armament
  • As designed:
  • 5 × 5 in (127 mm) DP guns
  • 6 × 0.50 in. (12.7 mm) guns
  • 10 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (2 × 5), 10 torpedoes
  • 2 × depth charge tracks
  • DD-459 onward:
  • 4 × 5 in (127 mm) DP guns
  • 4 × 40 mm Bofors guns (2 × 2)
  • 7 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannons
  • 5 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (1 × 5)
  • 4–6 × K-gun depth charge throwers
  • 2 × depth charge tracks

Roster

Vessel Pennant Commissioned Fate
USS Bailey (DD-492) DD-492 1942 Target 1969
USS Bancroft (DD-598) DD-598 1942 Scrapped 1973
USS Barton (DD-599) DD-599 1942 Sunk 1942
USS Benson 1940 Scrapped
USS Boyle 1942 Target 1973
USS Caldwell (DD-605) DD-605 1942 Scrapped 1966
USS Champlin (DD-601) DD-601 1942 Scrapped 1972
USS Charles F. Hughes 1940 Target 1969
USS Coghlan (DD-606) DD-606 1942 Scrapped 1974
USS Farenholt (DD-491) DD-491 1942 Scrapped 1972
USS Frazier 1942 Scrapped 1972
USS Gansevoort 1942 Target 1972
USS Gillespie 1942 Target 1973
USS Hilary P. Jones DD-15 1940 Scrapped 1974
USS Hobby 1942 Sunk 1972
USS Kalk (DD-611) DD-611 1942 Target 1969
USS Kendrick 1942
USS Laffey (DD-459) DD-459 1942 Sunk 1942
USS Lansdale (DD-426) DD-426 1940 Sunk 1944
USS Laub (DD-613) DD-613 1942 Scrapped 1975
USS MacKenzie (DD-614) DD-614 1942 Sunk 1974
USS Madison (DD-425) DD-425 1940 Target 1969
USS Mayo 1940 1972
USS McLanahan (DD-615) DD-615 1942 Scrapped 1974
USS Meade (DD-602) DD-602 1942 Target 1973
USS Murphy (DD-603) DD-603 1942 Scrapped 1972
USS Nields 1943 Scrapped 1972
USS Ordronaux 1943 Scrapped 1973
USS Parker (DD-604) DD-604 1942 Scrapped 1973
USS Woodworth DD-460 1942 Scrapped 1971

Sources