Robert H. Smith-class destroyer

Robert H. Smith-class destroyer
Class overview
Name: Robert H. Smith class
Builders:
Operators:
Completed: 12
Retired: 12
General characteristics
Type: Destroyer minelayer
Displacement: 2,200 tons (standard)
Length: 376 ft 6 in (114.76 m)
Beam: 40 ft 10 in (12.45 m)
Draft: 18 ft 10 in (5.74 m)
Propulsion: 4 Babcock & Wilcox or Foster Wheeler boilers; two General Electric or Westinghouse geared steam turbines, 60,000 shp (45,000 kW) total; two shafts
Speed: 34 kn (63 km/h) max
Range: 4,600 nmi (8,500 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h)
Complement: 363 standard
Armament:

The Robert H. Smith class of destroyer minelayers was built by the United States during World War II.

These vessels were all originally laid down as Allen M. Sumner-class destroyers and converted during construction in 1944. In that time the United States produced twelve Robert H. Smith-class destroyer minelayers. Their original hull numbers were DD-735-40, 749-51, and 771-73.[2] None of the Robert H. Smith-class vessels ever laid a mine in wartime, though they were frequently employed in minesweeping. Minelayers did not carry torpedo tubes. Otherwise they were used interchangeably with other destroyer types. As radar pickets at Okinawa, Aaron Ward, Lindsey, and J. William Ditter were damaged by kamikazes, and Shea by a Baka bomb.[3] Five of the class served actively in the 1950s, but all survivors were mothballed by the end of the decade and were disposed of in the 1970s. None of this class received FRAM conversions.

Ships in class

Ship name Hull no. Builder Laid down Commission Decommission Fate
Robert H. Smith DM-23 (ex-DD-735) Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine 10 January 1944 4 August 1944 29 January 1947 Struck, 26 February 1971
Thomas E. Fraser DM-24 (ex-DD-736) Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine 31 January 1944 22 August 1944 12 September 1955 Sold for scrap, 12 June 1974
Shannon DM-25 (ex-DD-737) Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine 14 February 1944 8 September 1944 24 October 1955 Sold for scrap, May 1973
Harry F. Bauer DM-26 (ex-DD-738) Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine 6 March 1944 22 September 1944 12 March 1956 Sold for scrap, 1 June 1974
Adams DM-27 (ex-DD-739) Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine 20 March 1944 10 October 1944 December 1946 Sold for scrap, 16 December 1971
Tolman DM-28 (ex-DD-740) Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine 10 April 1944 27 October 1944 29 January 1947 Sunk as a target 25 January 1997
Henry A. Wiley DM-29 (ex-DD-749) Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Staten Island, New York 28 November 1943 31 August 1944 29 January 1947 Sold for scrap, 30 May 1972
Shea DM-30 (ex-DD-750) Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Staten Island, New York 23 December 1943 30 September 1944 9 April 1958 Sold for scrap, 1 September 1974
J. William Ditter DM-31 (ex-DD-751) Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Staten Island, New York 25 January 1944 28 October 1944 28 September 1945 Scrapped, July 1946
Lindsey DM-32 (ex-DD-771) Bethlehem Steel Company, San Pedro, California, Terminal Island 12 September 1943 20 August 1944 25 May 1946 Sunk as a target 1 May 1972
Gwin DM-33 (ex-DD-772) Bethlehem Steel Company, San Pedro, California, Terminal Island 31 October 1943 30 September 1944
8 July 1952		 3 September 1946
3 April 1958		 Transferred to Turkey 15 August 1971
Aaron Ward DM-34 (ex-DD-773) Bethlehem Steel Company, San Pedro, California, Terminal Island 12 December 1943 28 October 1944 28 September 1945 Sold for scrap 1946

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Silverstone, p. 212
  2. ↑ Silverstone, p. 212
  3. ↑ Silverstone, p. 212

Sources

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