The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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Naval Historical Center #NH 97969
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Tonnage |
1190 tons standard displacement |
|
Dimensions |
314'5" by 31'8" by 9'9" 95.83m by 9.65m by 7.62m |
|
Maximum speed |
35 knots |
|
Complement |
150 |
|
Armament |
4x1 4"/50
guns 1 3"/23 AA gun 2x1 0.50 Browning machine guns 4x3 21" torpedoes 1 depth charge thrower 2 depth charger rails (15 depth charges) |
| Machinery |
2-shaft Westinghouse geared
turbines (27,000 shp) 4 White-Foster boilers |
|
Bunkerage |
375 tons fuel oil |
|
Range |
4900 nautical miles (9100 km) at 15 knots 2500 nautical miles (4600 km) at 20 knots |
| Modifications |
Modifications were highly variable by unit, and increasingly so as the war wore on. As with the Wickes, a number were converted to mine warfare vessels, fast transports, and seaplane tenders. The seaplane conversions replaced the two
forward boilers with gasoline storage (30,000 gallons or 114,000
liters), removing the torpedo tubes, two 4" guns, and the 3" gun, and
extended the bridge spaces to incorporate more electronics. Many
were converted back to destroyers once sufficient purpose-built
seaplane tenders of the Barnegat class had been
completed. |
The Clemsons were
the second of two major groups of "flush-deck" destroyers built by the United States
during World War I, the first being the Wickes
class. The main difference
from the earlier group was the effort made to give the later group a
consistent endurance. Most were completed at Bethlehem Steel yards. None were actually completed
before the armistice
of 1918.
Also known affectionately as "four-stackers," the Clemsons were built in great numbers, but were already obsolescent when they joined the fleet in 1919-1920. By 1942, they could rarely exceed a speed of 30 knots. Nevertheless, so desperate were the Allies for destroyers early in the Pacific War that these elderly ships remained a significant part of their destroyer flotillas. Many were converted to fast minesweepers and minelayers by removing their torpedo armament to make room for mine warfare equipment.
The ships had a reputation for rolling badly that
would continue to be a hallmark of U.S. destroyer design until the Fletcher
class. In fact, the roll rarely exceeded 15 degrees even in heavy seas.
However, the record was an impressive 52 degrees, set in a severe gale.
Severe rolling was usually a consequence of light loading, and Clemsons making high-speed runs
were advised to be well ballasted first. Though maneuverable, the
steering gear had a tendency to break down, and they had a rather large
turning circle at high speed. Halsey claimed he
preferred to dock flushdeckers at a speed of ten knots. The torpedo
tubes were not well arranged, so that it was hazardous to train them
out during a high-speed turn due to the possibility of the tubes
plunging into the ocean. The flush decks gave great strength but made
for wet ships.
| Balikpapan | ||
| Balikpapan | Sunk by Hirishima and Kongo off Christmas Island 1942-3-1 | |
| Balikpapan | ||
| Balikpapan | ||
| Cavite | ||
| Cavite | Sunk
by dive bombers at Darwin
on 1942-19-2 |
|
| Cavite | Sunk by aircraft south of Borneo on 1942-3-1 | |
| Dutch Harbor | ||
| Mare Island | ||
| Mare Island | ||
| 50 miles NW of Oahu | ||
| Puget Sound | ||
| San Diego | ||
| San Diego | ||
| San Diego | ||
| Seattle | ||
| Tarakan | ||
|
Bulmer |
Tarakan | |
| Tarakan | ||
| Tarakan | ||
| Tarakan | Sunk off the Netherlands East Indies 42-3 | |
| arrived 1/42 |
Destroyer-minecraft conversions
| Pearl Harbor | |
| Pearl Harbor |
Destroyer-minesweeper conversions
| Johnston Island | ||
| Johnston Island | ||
| Johnston Island | ||
| 20 mi south of Pearl Harbor | ||
| Pearl Harbor | ||
| Pearl Harbor | Mined
1944-9-13 in Palaus |
|
| Pearl Harbor | ||
| Pearl Harbor | ||
| Pearl Harbor | ||
| Pearl Harbor | ||
| Pearl Harbor |
Fast transport conversions
| arrived 1943-10-23 |
Lost in collision 1944-9-12 |
|
| arrived 1943-10-29 | ||
| arrived 1944-4-17 | ||
| arrived 1944-5 | ||
| arrived 1944-6-1 | ||
| Belknap |
arrived 1944-9 |
|
| arrived 1945-2-5 | ||
| arrived 1945-3 | ||
| Barry |
arrived 1945-3-17 |
Sunk by aircraft 1945-5-25 off Okinawa |
Destroyer-seaplane tender conversions
| Batavia | ||
| Malalag Bay, Davao | ||
| Maui | ||
| Pearl Harbor | ||
| Pearl Harbor | Damaged in collision 1945-5-5
off Okinawa and ruled not worth
repairing |
|
| Puget Sound | ||
| Gillis |
Sitka |
Equipped with radar by 1942-6 |
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References
Gogin (2010; accessed 2013-1-30)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007-2010, 2013-2014 by Kent G. Budge. Index
