Allen M. Sumner Class, U.S. Destroyers

Naval HIstorical Center #NH-96832

Specifications:

The Allen M. Sumners, completed in 1943-45, were an attempt to improve on the firepower of the Fletchers. They were a disappointment to the U.S. Navy, which expected more from the new design. Few of the ships actually achieved the design speed of 36.5 knots, with some units unable to do better than 33.6 knots in trials. Their twin mounts had a longer firing cycle and trained significantly more slowly than the single mounts of the Fletcher. However, the focused firepower proved beneficial in combat. These ships also had twin rudders (significantly improving maneuverability) and radar accommodations prefiguring the C.I.C. concept. Their greatest deficiency was the great weight of the forward mounts, which tended to drive their bows into the water and introduced stress points in the hulls. However, they proved durable in combat with the kamikazes.

A peculiarity of the design was that the after 5"/38 twin gun mount was capable of firing dead ahead, over the masts and bridge structure.

Nimitz recommended that a dozen of these destroyers should be completed as offensive minesweepers by replacing the torpedoes, two depth charge throwers, and three of the 20mm guns with minelaying gear. These ships could carry 120 mines and were thought fast enough to sneak into enemy waters by night to carry out their mission.

Units in the Pacific:

References

DANFS

Jane's

Whitley (1988)

Worth (2001)

The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia (c) 2007-2008 by Kent G. Budge. Index

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