Design History
Although Treaty limitations had not applied during the construction of the Sims and Benson classes, the necessity of producing a large number of destroyer had effectively precluded the design of a ship that was not directly based on its predecessors. It was in the fall of 1939 that the General Board set to work on the design of a new class of destroyers. Once more, it querried the fleet as to the desirable characteristics of a fleet destroyer; asked whether the fleet considered that the destroyers now under production were already too large, or not enough torpedo vessels, or whether the utility of the destroyer made it a ship of so many functions that torpedo attack was but one of them.

To that last premise, Captain Russell S. Crenshaw, Chief of the War Plans Division, heartily concurred. He believed that the ten torpedoes in quintuble centerline tubes as employed in the latest designs was quite sufficient. Size should not be reduced; the destroyers' functions as fleet screening vessels should be stressed more. More depth-charges, and preferably a heavier anti-air battery (possibly adding a quadruple 28mm mount) were desired. Not much later, the General Board summed up its hearings in a characteristic that called for no less than 4 5" L/38 guns, ten torpedo tubes and 36 knots at 1,600 tons. To this general layout the CNO, Harold Stark, agreed. It was, however, pointed out that given the fiscal situation of the day, it might be advisable to procure the best destroyer possible without regard for cost (which Congress was quite ready to disregard as well), and to resort to smaller, cheaper ships when the time came in which Congress would not be as supportive. The tentative design first issued by the General Board became the basis of several Bureau of Construction and Repair draft designs. However, since the initial designs did not exceed 1,600 tons, the differences of the new class would primarily be of emphasis - mainly because the increased depth charge and the proposed providing of torpedo reloads would necessitate the reduction of weights in other places. An option that was considered was the placement of the main artillery in twin mounts, at least partially, saving critical top weight.

These proposals did obviously not satisfy the General Board. Although several members proposed further studies of this and that proposed design, the General Board as a whole requested two weeks after the initial proposals had been made that a larger ship be studied, and four new proposals be drawn up. Once made, they drew heavily upon a number of proposals, from within C&R (where a flush-deck hull originated), to the General Board and the Bureau of Engineering. The final ship, which was to have five 5" guns, ten to twelve torpedo tubes, depth charges and K-guns to throw them with, plus most importantly, protection from heavy machine-gun fire in the form of 0.5" STS armor over vital spaces.

This became some of the primary concern, since the added weight of the STS and the "parasitic" weight of a heavier and possibly wider hull to sustain the large weight of the armor increased tonnage immensely. When C&R finished the new proposals, they all came out over 2,000 tons. At the same time, the General Board accepted the need both for size and protection. In the final characteristics which the General Board gave out for the 1941 destroyer program, the new ships made good use of their large size: five 5" guns, ten torpedo tubes in quintuble mounts, a 28mm L/73 AA quad mount, four .50cal machine guns, 38 knots, four K-guns and two depth-charge racks, 0.5" STS protection for engines, boilers (both decks and sides), pilothouse and 0,75" STS over the 5" gun director.

Few changes were made to the design from the initial design to the contract design stage. Proposals to replace the forward two 5" guns with a single twin came to nothing for reasons of space and visibility. However, the initial anti-air outfit was replaced in the design by a 40mm twin in place of the 28mm quad, and six 20mms in the place of the .50-cal machine guns. Later ships, those whose construction was not yet too far advanced when the change was ordered in mid-December 1941, received two twin 40mms and four 20mm guns.

Further design changes were ordered in later ships. While the earliest vessels possessed a round bridge, such as in the SIMS, the experience of the British with aircraft, and the changed role of the destroyer, led to demands for a bridge with an all around view. Later ships had a square open bridge.

The final design had everything in common with the final draft design besides these changes. A Mk37 director controlled 5" fire, a 40mm director Mk49 served the light AA, protection equal to that specified in the final draft was the first armor ever applied to a U.S. destroyer design.

175 ships of the Fletcher class were procured during the war, with funds from Fiscal Years 1941, 1942 and 1943. Most American yards were involved in the production of the class, and several yards were upgraded and improved to allow construction of these ships.

In an effort to provide the fleet with more planes, six Fletchers were ordered modified with a catapult in place of no.3 5" gun. This effort, soon rendered obsolete by a combination of uselessness and difficulty with the handling, was reduced to three ships in early 1943, the decision having been made to retain the removed no.3 gun in storage from quick "reassembly". Three ships were completed with a catapult and plane, and operated for a short while with them, until they, too, lost their equipment in October 1943.

Modification History
By the time of their commissioning, all Fletchers had radar SG and SC (some SA), later SC-2, as well as fire-control radar Mk4. Various expansions of the light AA took place in the course of the war, the ultimate battery, not reached in all Fletchers, consisting of 14 40mm and 7 20mm guns. For such a battery, a reduction of the torpedo tubes by one quintuble set was necessary.

Service History
Unlike their contemporaries on the production lines, the repeat Bensons of the Livermore class, Fletcher class destroyers were commonly assigned to the Pacific. Their initial combat took place off Guadalcanal, where Fletcher herself saw combat in the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal among other things. Later on, Fletchers were the primary part of the Cactus Striking Force of destroyers, and participated in every engagement and campaign thereafter conducted by the Allies. Fletchers comprised part of the screen of Taffy 3 at Leyte Gulf, certainly the classic destroyer action of World War II. Slowly supplemented and replaced in carrier screens by Allen Sumner and Gearing class destroyers, Fletchers nonetheless served as fast carrier escorts until the end of the war and beyond, when a large number were converted to DDEs, DDRs and similar ships. Many Fletchers were transfered to foreign navies (were a few still serve), including six to the Federal Republic of Germany and some to Japan. Several U.S. ships were not decommissioned until the late 1960s, when their roles were taken over by newly built ships. The were, however, kept in reserve for several years to come.

Ships in class:

DD-445 Fletcher DD-446 Radford DD-447 Jenkins DD-448 La Vallette DD-449 Nicholas DD-450 O'Bannon DD-451 Chevalier DD-465 Saufley DD-466 Waller DD-467 Strong DD-468 Taylor DD-469 De Haven DD-470 Bache DD-471 Beale DD-472 Guest DD-473 Bennett DD-474 Fullam DD-475 Hudson DD-476 Hutchins DD-477 Pringle DD-478 Stanly DD-479 Stevens DD-480 Halford DD-481 Leutze DD-498 Philip DD-499 Renshaw DD-500 Ringgold DD-501 Schroeder DD-502 Sigsbee DD-507 Conway DD-508 Cony DD-509 Converse DD-510 Eaton DD-511 Foote DD-512 Spence

DD-513 Terry DD-514 Thatcher DD-515 Anthony DD-516 Wadsworth DD-517 Walker DD-518 Brownson DD-519 Daly DD-520 Isherwood DD-521 Kimberly DD-522 Luce DD-526 Abner Read DD-527 Ammen DD-528 Mullany DD-529 Bush DD-530 Trathen DD-531 Hazelwood DD-532 Heermann DD-533 Hoel DD-534 McCord DD-535 Millier DD-536 Owen DD-537 The Sullivans DD-538 Stephen Potter DD-539 Tingey DD-540 Twining DD-541 Yarnall DD-544 Boyd DD-545 Bradford DD-546 Brown DD-547 Cowell DD-550 Capps DD-551 David W. Taylor DD-552 Evans DD-553 John D. Henley DD-554 Franks

DD-555 Haggard DD-556 Hailey DD-557 Johnston DD-558 Laws DD-559 Longshaw DD-560 Morrison DD-561 Prichett DD-562 Robinson DD-563 Ross DD-564 Rowe DD-565 Smalley DD-566 Stoddard DD-567 Watts DD-568 Wren DD-569 Aulick DD-570 Charles Ausburne DD-571 Claxton DD-572 Dyson DD-573 Harrison DD-574 John Rodgers DD-575 McKee DD-576 Murray DD-577 Sproston DD-578 Wickes DD-579 William D. Porter DD-580 Young DD-581 Charrette DD-582 Conner DD-583 Hall DD-584 Halligan DD-585 Haraden DD-586 Newcomb DD-587 Bell DD-588 Burns DD-589 Izard

DD-590 Paul Hamilton DD-591 Twiggs DD-592 Howorth DD-593 Killen DD-594 Hart DD-595 Metcalfe DD-596 Shields DD-597 Willey DD-629 Abott DD-630 Braine DD-631 Erben DD-642 Hale DD-643 Sigourney DD-644 Stembel DD-649 Albert W. Grant DD-650 Caperton DD-651 Cogswell DD-652 Ingersoll DD-653 Knapp DD-654 Bearss DD-655 John Hood DD-656 Von Valkenburgh DD-657 Charles J. Badger DD-658 Colahan DD-659 Colahan DD-660 Bullard DD-661 Kidd DD-662 Bennion DD-663 Heywood L. Edwards DD-664 Richard P. Leary DD-665 Bryant DD-666 Black DD-667 Chauncey DD-668 Clarence K. Bronson DD-669 Cotten

DD-670 Dortch DD-671 Gatling DD-672 Healy DD-673 Halcox DD-674 Hunt DD-675 Lewis Hancock DD-676 Marshall DD-677 McDermut DD-678 McGowan DD-679 McNair DD-680 Melvin DD-681 Hopewell DD-682 Porterfield DD-683 Stockham DD-684 Wedderburn DD-685 Picking DD-686 Halsey Powell DD-687 Uhlmann DD-688 Remey DD-689 Wadleigh DD-690 Norman Scott DD-691 Mertz DD-792 Callaghan DD-793 Cassin Young DD-794 Irwin DD-795 Preston DD-796 Benham DD-797 Cushing DD-798 Monssen DD-799 Jarvis DD-800 Porter DD-801 Calhoun DD-802 Gregory DD-803 Little DD-804 Rooks