Author: Al Adcock
By the start of the 20th Century, the US Navy recognized the need for small, fast escort ships to accompany the fleets battleships and cruisers. This resulted in the destroyers, the first of which entered US Navy service in 1901. These vessels were continually developed, with oil replacing coal as the fuel and improved weapons fitted.
By 1917, the first of nearly 300 flush deck destroyers were launched. They were mass-produced to meet US needs in WWI. The ships of the Sampson, Caldwell, Wickes, and Clemson classes comprised the bulk of the US Navys ocean-going escorts during the 1920s and 1930s. Some of these ships were scrapped to comply with arms reduction treaties, but others saw active service in various roles during WWII. These roles included destroyer, high-speed mine layer, high-speed mine sweeper, light seaplane tender, and high-speed attack transport.
In 1940, the US transferred 50 of these ships to Great Britain, which needed additional escorts to fight German submarines in the North Atlantic. This new book by warship expert Al Adcock traces the development and operational service of these US flush deck destroyers.
Paperback - 11" x 8-1/2" - 50 pages - 9 color, 100 b/w
Format: Softbound
Pages: 50
Length: 8.5w x 11h
ISBN-13: 9780897474603
ISBN: 0897474600
Catalog ID: 136817A