Sampson-class destroyer

Template:Infobox ship imageTemplate:Infobox ship class overviewTemplate:Infobox ship characteristics

The Sampson-class destroyers served in the United States Navy during World War I. Commissioned in 1916 and 1917, the class was a modification of the Template:Sclass and Template:Sclasses, with the number of Template:Convert torpedo tubes increased from four twin-mounts to four triple-mounts. The Sampsons were the final six ships of the 26 "thousand tonner" destroyers. They were the largest and most heavily armed of the "thousand tonners", and the subsequent "flush deck" classes differed mainly in hull design and the engineering plant.

Design

Armament

While the gun armament was typical for destroyers of this period, the torpedo armament of twelve 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes was a significant increase over the preceding Tucker class, replacing four twin mounts with four triple mounts. Both the gun and torpedo armament would remain standard through the mass-production "flush-deck" Template:Sclass and Template:Sclasses commissioned through 1921. As with the other "thousand tonners", a factor in the size of the torpedo armament was the General Board's decision to use broadside rather than centerline torpedo tubes. This was due to the desire to have some torpedoes remaining after firing a broadside, and problems experienced with centerline mounts on previous classes with torpedoes striking the gunwales of the firing ship. The Mark 8 torpedo was equipped.

This was the first US destroyer class to mount anti-aircraft guns: two 1 pounder (37 mm) autocannons. Anti-submarine (ASW) armament was added during World War I. Typically, a single depth charge track was provided aft, along with a Y-gun depth charge projector.

Engineering

While the main turbines were direct drive, all of the class were fitted with geared cruising turbines as in the preceding Tucker class, on one shaft in Template:USS, Template:USS and Template:USS and on both shafts in the others.

Service

The Sampson class served in World War I as convoy escorts in the Atlantic. Wilkes and Shaw served in the United States Coast Guard as part of the Rum Patrol 1926–34. While the other ships of the Sampson class were retired and scrapped 1934–36 to comply with the London Naval Treaty, Allen survived into the 1940s and was recommissioned on 23 August 1940; she served in the Pearl Harbor Defensive Sea Area through World War II before being decommissioned at Philadelphia in October 1945 and scrapped, the only pre-flush-deck destroyer to serve in that war.

Ships in class

Ships of the Sampson destroyer class

Name	Hull no.	Shipyard	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Fate
Template:USS	DD-63	Fore River Shipbuilding	15 April 1915	4 March 1916	27 June 1916	15 June 1921	Scrapped 1936
Template:USS	DD-64	Fore River Shipbuilding	10 May 1915	23 March 1916	22 August 1916	19 June 1922	Scrapped 1939
Template:USS	DD-65	Bath Iron Works	7 May 1915	15 August 1916	5 October 1916	20 June 1922	USCG 1926–33, scrapped 1934
Template:USS	DD-66	Bath Iron Works	10 May 1915	5 December 1916	24 January 1917	15 October 1945	Sold for scrap 26 September 1946
Template:USS	DD-67	William Cramp & Sons	11 March 1915	18 May 1916	10 November 1916	5 June 1922	USCG 1926–34, scrapped 1934
Template:USS	DD-68	Mare Island Navy Yard	7 February 1916	9 December 1916	9 April 1917	21 June 1922	USCG 1926–33, name removed 1 November 1933 for new ship, scrapped 1934

References

Sources

• Silverstone, Paul H., U.S. Warships of World War I (Ian Allan, 1970), Template:ISBN.
• Silverstone, Paul H., U.S. Warships of World War II (Ian Allan, 1965), Template:ISBN.
• Gardiner, Robert, Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921, London: Conway Maritime Press, 1985. Template:ISBN.
• Gardiner, Robert and Chesneau, Roger, Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946, London: Conway Maritime Press, 1980. Template:ISBN.
• Public Domain This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

External links

• Tin Can Sailors @ Destroyers.org - Sampson class Template:Webarchive
• USS Rowan Reunion Association
• DestroyerHistory.org Thousand Tonner page
• DestroyerHistory.org Sampson Class page
• NavSource Destroyer Photo Index Page
• DiGiulian, Tony Navweaps.com 4"/50 Mks 7, 8, 9, and 10
• DiGiulian, Tony Navweaps.com Pre-WWII US Torpedoes
• US Navy Torpedo History, part 2 Template:Webarchive