Benson/Gleaves-class (DD-421)

Summary

Description

The Benson class was a series of destroyers developed for the U.S. Navy between 1939 and 1943, designed to serve as an improved version of the preceding Sims-class with a standard displacement of 1,620 tons. This class was composed of thirty ships constructed in two batches and included the related Gleaves class destroyers, which were nearly identical. These ships were considered the backbone of the U.S. Navy's pre-war Neutrality Patrols and later participated actively in every major campaign of World War II.

The initial group of ships within this class was named after William Shepherd Benson, a notable figure in U.S. naval history who was the first Chief of Naval Operations. The destroyers implemented an innovative "echeloned" machinery arrangement, which meant that the boiler and engine rooms were alternating, providing the ships with greater resilience against torpedo damage as the entire propulsion system wouldn't be disabled by damage to a single section. The design also integrated quintuple torpedo tube mounts. These vessels were initially slated to have complex machinery, including high-pressure steam and double-reduction gearing; however, due to efficiency claims by Bethlehem Steel, they were completed with less complex machinery.

The Benson-class destroyers were outfitted with a mix of anti-surface and anti-aircraft armaments. At inception, they wielded four or five 5-inch dual-purpose guns, controlled by a Mark 37 Fire Control System, and had quintuple torpedo tube mounts, allowing for a broadside of ten tubes. As the war progressed, modifications were made to the ships' armament in response to changing threats, such as increasing anti-aircraft capabilities at the expense of torpedo tubes, especially as a countermeasure against kamikaze attacks toward the end of the war.

Throughout World War II, these ships served in various roles, some operating in the Atlantic and Mediterranean with duties that included supporting land operations in North Africa, Italy, and Southern France. Others served entirely in the Pacific, participating in several key engagements in the Solomon Islands and Aleutians. Notably, three of the Benson-class destroyers were lost during the war due to combat action, while another ship, the USS Murphy, survived despite severe damage during a collision.

Post-war, the remaining Benson-class ships were decommissioned and placed in the Reserve Fleet. Although modernization was considered in the 1950s, it was not broadly implemented, except on the ships that were transferred abroad. The U.S. transferred one destroyer to Italy and two to Taiwan, with the rest being scrapped or otherwise disposed of by the early 1970s.

Technical specifications