Clemson Class Destroyer (1918)

The Clemson class destroyers were ordered in massive numbers for the U.S. Navy to meet wartime needs for antisubmarine escorts, but only nine were launched and one were commissioned before the Armistice was signed. They differed from the previous Wickes class by having their range extended 35%, thanks to greater oil bunkerage on an increased displacement.

[show]Overview of 156 vessels
Citations for this data available on individual ship pages
Name	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
Clemson	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company	11 May, 1918	5 Sep, 1918	29 Dec, 1919
Dahlgren	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company	2 Jun, 1918	20 Nov, 1918	6 Jan, 1920
Goldsborough	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company	2 Jun, 1918	20 Nov, 1918	26 Jan, 1920
Semmes	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company	10 Jul, 1918	21 Dec, 1918	21 Feb, 1920
Satterlee	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company	10 Jul, 1918	21 Dec, 1918	23 Dec, 1919	Torpedoed 21 Jan, 1942
Mason	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company	10 Jul, 1918	8 Mar, 1919	28 Feb, 1920	Torpedoed 18 Oct, 1941
Graham	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company	7 Sep, 1918	22 Mar, 1919	13 Mar, 1920	Collision 16 Dec, 1921
Abel P. Upshur	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company	20 Aug, 1918	14 Feb, 1920	23 Nov, 1920	Broken up 1946
Hunt	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company	20 Aug, 1918	14 Feb, 1920	30 Sep, 1920	Broken up 1947
Welborn C. Wood	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company	24 Sep, 1918	6 Mar, 1920	14 Jan, 1921	Broken up 1947
George E. Badger	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company	24 Sep, 1918	6 Mar, 1920	28 Jul, 1920
Branch	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company	25 Oct, 1918	19 Apr, 1919	26 Jul, 1920	Torpedoed 11 Apr, 1943
Herndon	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company	25 Nov, 1918	31 May, 1919	14 Sep, 1920	Torpedoed 16 Jan, 1945
Dallas	Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company	25 Nov, 1918	31 May, 1919	8 Nov, 1920
Chandler	William Cramp & Sons	19 Aug, 1918	19 Mar, 1919	5 Sep, 1919
Southard	William Cramp & Sons	18 Aug, 1918	31 Mar, 1919	24 Sep, 1919
Hovey	William Cramp & Sons	7 Sep, 1918	26 Apr, 1919	2 Oct, 1919	Kamikaze 6 Jan, 1945
Long	William Cramp & Sons	23 Sep, 1918	26 Apr, 1919	20 Oct, 1919	Kamikaze 6 Jan, 1945
Broome	William Cramp & Sons	8 Oct, 1918	14 May, 1919	31 Oct, 1919	Sold 20 Nov, 1946
Alden	William Cramp & Sons	24 Oct, 1918	7 Jun, 1919	24 Nov, 1919	Sold 30 Nov, 1945
Smith Thompson	William Cramp & Sons	24 Mar, 1919	14 Jul, 1919	10 Dec, 1919	Scuttled 25 Jul, 1936
Barker	William Cramp & Sons	30 Apr, 1919	11 Sep, 1919	27 Dec, 1919	Sold 30 Nov, 1945
Tracy	William Cramp & Sons	30 Apr, 1919	12 Aug, 1919	9 Mar, 1920
Borie	William Cramp & Sons	30 Apr, 1919	4 Oct, 1919	24 Mar, 1920	Collision 2 Nov, 1943
John D. Edwards	William Cramp & Sons	21 May, 1919	18 Oct, 1919	6 Apr, 1920
Whipple	William Cramp & Sons	12 Jun, 1919	6 Nov, 1919	23 Apr, 1920
Parrott	William Cramp & Sons	23 Jul, 1919	25 Nov, 1919	11 May, 1920	Sold 5 Apr, 1947
Edsall	William Cramp & Sons	15 Sep, 1919	29 Jul, 1920	26 Nov, 1920	Grounded 1 Mar, 1942
MacLeish	William Cramp & Sons	19 Aug, 1919	18 Dec, 1919	2 Aug, 1920
Simpson	William Cramp & Sons	9 Oct, 1919	28 Apr, 1920	3 Nov, 1920
Bulmer	William Cramp & Sons	11 Aug, 1919	22 Jan, 1920	16 Aug, 1920	Sold 19 Feb, 1947
McCormick	William Cramp & Sons	11 Aug, 1919	14 Feb, 1920	30 Aug, 1920
Stewart	William Cramp & Sons	9 Sep, 1919	4 Mar, 1920	15 Sep, 1920	Scuttled 2 Mar, 1942
Pope	William Cramp & Sons	9 Sep, 1919	6 Apr, 1920	22 Oct, 1920	Bombed 1 Mar, 1942
Peary	William Cramp & Sons	6 Sep, 1919	6 Apr, 1920	22 Oct, 1920	Bombed 19 Feb, 1942
Pillsbury	William Cramp & Sons	23 Oct, 1919	3 Aug, 1920	15 Dec, 1920	Grounded 1 Mar, 1942
Ford	William Cramp & Sons	11 Nov, 1919	2 Sep, 1920	30 Dec, 1920
Truxtun	William Cramp & Sons	3 Dec, 1919	28 Sep, 1920	16 Feb, 1921	Grounded 18 Feb, 1942
Paul Jones	William Cramp & Sons	23 Dec, 1919	30 Sep, 1920	19 Apr, 1921
Hatfield	New York Shipbuilding	10 Jun, 1918	17 Mar, 1919	16 Apr, 1920
Brooks	New York Shipbuilding	11 Jun, 1918	24 Apr, 1919	18 Jun, 1920	Sold 30 Jan, 1946
Gilmer	New York Shipbuilding	25 Jun, 1918	24 May, 1919	30 Apr, 1920
Fox	New York Shipbuilding	25 Jun, 1918	12 Jun, 1919	17 May, 1920
Kane	New York Shipbuilding	3 Jul, 1918	12 Aug, 1919	11 Jun, 1920
Humphreys	New York Shipbuilding	31 Jul, 1918	28 Jul, 1919	21 Jul, 1920
McFarland	New York Shipbuilding	31 Jul, 1918	30 Mar, 1920	30 Sep, 1920
James K. Paulding	New York Shipbuilding	31 Jul, 1918	20 Apr, 1920	30 Sep, 1920
Overton	New York Shipbuilding	30 Oct, 1918	10 Jul, 1919	30 Jun, 1920
Sturtevant	New York Shipbuilding	23 Nov, 1918	8 Aug, 1920	21 Sep, 1920	Mined 26 Apr, 1942
Childs	New York Shipbuilding	19 Mar, 1919	15 Sep, 1920	22 Oct, 1920
King	New York Shipbuilding	28 Apr, 1919	14 Oct, 1920	16 Dec, 1920
Sands	New York Shipbuilding	22 Mar, 1919	28 Oct, 1919	10 Nov, 1920
Williamson	New York Shipbuilding	27 Mar, 1919	16 Oct, 1919	29 Oct, 1920
Reuben James	New York Shipbuilding	2 Apr, 1919	4 Oct, 1919	24 Sep, 1920	Torpedoed 31 Oct, 1941
Bainbridge	New York Shipbuilding	27 May, 1919	12 Jun, 1920	9 Feb, 1921	Sold 30 Nov, 1945
Goff	New York Shipbuilding	16 Jun, 1919	2 Jun, 1920	19 Jan, 1921
Barry	New York Shipbuilding	26 Jul, 1919	28 Oct, 1920	28 Dec, 1920	Kamikazed 21 Jun, 1945
Hopkins	New York Shipbuilding	30 Jul, 1919	26 Jun, 1920	21 Mar, 1921
Lawrence	New York Shipbuilding	14 Aug, 1919	10 Jul, 1920	18 Apr, 1921
Belknap	Fore River	3 Sep, 1918	14 Jan, 1919	28 Apr, 1919
McCook	Fore River	11 Sep, 1918	28 Mar, 1919	22 Jul, 1919	Torpedoed 30 Sep, 1943
McCalla	Fore River	25 Sep, 1918	28 Mar, 1919	19 May, 1919	Torpedoed 19 Dec, 1941
Rodgers	Fore River	25 Feb, 1918	26 Apr, 1919	22 Jul, 1919	Broken up 1945
Ingram	Fore River	15 Oct, 1918	1 Mar, 1919	28 Jun, 1919
Bancroft	Fore River	4 Nov, 1918	21 Mar, 1919	30 Jun, 1919	Collision 11 Jul, 1945
Welles	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	13 Nov, 1918	8 May, 1919	2 Sep, 1919	Broken up Nov, 1944
Aulick	Fore River Shipbuilding Company	3 Dec, 1918	11 Apr, 1919	26 Jul, 1919	Broken up 1948
Turner	Fore River Shipbuilding Company	21 Dec, 1918	17 May, 1919	24 Sep, 1919
Gillis	Fore River Shipbuilding Company	27 Dec, 1918	29 May, 1919	3 Sep, 1919
Delphy	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	20 Apr, 1918	18 Jul, 1918	30 Nov, 1918
McDermut	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	20 Apr, 1918	6 Jul, 1918	27 Mar, 1919
Laub	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	20 Apr, 1918	25 Aug, 1918	17 Mar, 1919	Broken up 1947
McLanahan	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	20 Apr, 1918	22 Sep, 1918	5 Apr, 1919	Sold 1946
Edwards	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	20 Apr, 1918	10 Oct, 1918	24 Apr, 1919	Sold Jun, 1945
Greene	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	3 Jun, 1918	2 Nov, 1918	9 May, 1919	Grounded 9 Oct, 1945
Ballard	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	3 Jun, 1918	7 Dec, 1918	5 Jun, 1919	Sold 23 May, 1946
Shubrick	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	3 Jun, 1918	31 Dec, 1918	7 Jul, 1919	Broken up 1945
Bailey	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	3 Jun, 1918	5 Feb, 1919	27 Jun, 1919	Broken up 1945
Thornton	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	3 Jun, 1918	22 Mar, 1919	15 Jul, 1919
Morris	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	20 Jul, 1918	12 Apr, 1919	21 Jul, 1919
Tingey	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	8 Aug, 1918	24 Apr, 1919	25 Jul, 1919
Swasey	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	27 Aug, 1918	7 May, 1919	8 Aug, 1919	Mined 27 Sep, 1944
Meade	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	24 Sep, 1918	24 May, 1919	8 Sep, 1919	Broken up 1947
Sinclair	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	11 Oct, 1918	2 Jun, 1919	8 Oct, 1919
McCawley	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	2 Nov, 1918	14 Jun, 1919	22 Sep, 1919
Moody	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	9 Dec, 1918	28 Jun, 1919	10 Dec, 1919
Henshaw	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	3 Jan, 1919	28 Jun, 1919	10 Dec, 1919
Meyer	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	6 Feb, 1919	18 Jul, 1919	17 Dec, 1919
Doyen	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	24 Mar, 1919	26 Jul, 1919	17 Dec, 1919
Sharkey	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	14 Apr, 1919	12 Aug, 1919	28 Nov, 1919
Toucey	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	26 Apr, 1919	5 Sep, 1919	9 Dec, 1919
Breck	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	8 May, 1919	5 Sep, 1919	1 Dec, 1919
Isherwood	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	24 May, 1919	10 Sep, 1919	4 Dec, 1919
Case	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	3 Jun, 1919	21 Sep, 1919	8 Dec, 1919
Lardner	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	16 Jun, 1919	29 Sep, 1919	10 Dec, 1919
Putnam	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	30 Jun, 1919	30 Sep, 1919	18 Dec, 1919	Sold May, 1955
Worden	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	30 Jun, 1919	24 Oct, 1919	24 Feb, 1920	Grounded 1933
Flusser	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	21 Jul, 1919	7 Nov, 1919	25 Feb, 1920
Dale	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	28 Jul, 1919	19 Nov, 1919	16 Feb, 1920	Bombed 28 Mar, 1943
Converse	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	13 Aug, 1919	28 Nov, 1919	28 Apr, 1920
Reid	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	9 Sep, 1919	15 Oct, 1919	3 Dec, 1919
Billingsley	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	8 Sep, 1919	10 Dec, 1919	1 Mar, 1920
Charles Ausburn	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	11 Sep, 1919	18 Dec, 1919	23 Mar, 1920
Osborne	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Squantum Yard	23 Sep, 1919	29 Dec, 1919	17 May, 1920	Burned 27 Jun, 1942
Chauncey	Union Iron Works	17 Jun, 1918	29 Sep, 1919	25 Jun, 1919
Fuller	Union Iron Works	4 Jul, 1918	5 Dec, 1918	28 Feb, 1920	Grounded 8 Sep, 1923
Percival	Union Iron Works	4 Jul, 1918	5 Dec, 1918	31 Mar, 1920
John Francis Burnes	Union Iron Works	4 Jul, 1918	10 Nov, 1918	1 May, 1920
Farragut	Union Iron Works	4 Jul, 1918	10 Nov, 1918	4 Jun, 1920
Somers	Union Iron Works	4 Jul, 1918	21 Nov, 1918	23 Jun, 1920
Stoddert	Union Iron Works	4 Jul, 1918	8 Jan, 1919	30 Jun, 1920
Reno	Union Iron Works	4 Jul, 1918	22 Jan, 1919	23 Jul, 1920
Farquhar	Union Iron Works	13 Aug, 1918	18 Jan, 1919	5 Aug, 1920
Thompson	Union Iron Works	14 Aug, 1918	19 Jan, 1919	16 Aug, 1920	Expended 1944
Kennedy	Union Iron Works	25 Sep, 1918	15 Feb, 1919	28 Aug, 1920
Paul Hamilton	Union Iron Works	25 Sep, 1918	21 Feb, 1919	24 Sep, 1920
William Jones	Union Iron Works	2 Oct, 1918	9 Apr, 1919	30 Sep, 1929
Woodbury	Union Iron Works	3 Oct, 1918	6 Feb, 1919	30 Oct, 1920	Grounded 8 Sep, 1923
S. P. Lee	Union Iron Works	31 Dec, 1918	22 Apr, 1919	30 Oct, 1920	Grounded 8 Sep, 1923
Nicholas	Union Iron Works	11 Jan, 1919	1 May, 1919	23 Nov, 1920	Grounded 8 Sep, 1923
Young	Union Iron Works	28 Jan, 1919	8 May, 1919	29 Nov, 1920	Grounded 8 Sep, 1923
Zeilin	Union Iron Works	20 Feb, 1919	28 May, 1919	10 Dec, 1920
Yarborough	Union Iron Works	27 Feb, 1919	20 Jun, 1919	31 Dec, 1920
La Vallette	Union Iron Works	14 Apr, 1919	15 Jul, 1919	24 Dec, 1920
Sloat	Union Iron Works	18 Jan, 1919	14 May, 1919	30 Dec, 1920	Expended 26 Jun, 1935
Wood	Union Iron Works	23 Jan, 1919	28 May, 1919	28 Jan, 1921
Shirk	Union Iron Works	13 Feb, 1919	20 Jun, 1919	5 Feb, 1921	Broken up 1931
Kidder	Union Iron Works	5 Mar, 1919	10 Jul, 1919	7 Feb, 1921
Selfridge	Union Iron Works	28 Apr, 1919	25 Jul, 1919	17 Feb, 1921
Marcus	Union Iron Works	20 May, 1919	22 Aug, 1919	23 Feb, 1921	Expended 25 Jun, 1935
Mervine	Union Iron Works	28 Apr, 1919	11 Aug, 1919	1 Mar, 1921
Chase	Union Iron Works	5 May, 1919	2 Sep, 1919	10 Mar, 1921
Robert Smith	Union Iron Works	13 May, 1919	19 Sep, 1919	17 Mar, 1921
Mullany	Union Iron Works	3 Jun, 1919	9 Jul, 1920	29 Mar, 1921
Coghlan	Union Iron Works	25 Jun, 1919	16 Jun, 1920	31 Mar, 1921
Preston	Union Iron Works	19 Jul, 1919	7 Aug, 1920	13 Apr, 1921	Sold 23 Aug, 1932
Lamson	Union Iron Works	13 Aug, 1919	1 Sep, 1920	19 Apr, 1921
Bruce	Union Iron Works	30 Jul, 1919	20 May, 1920	29 Sep, 1920	Sold Aug, 1932
Hull	Union Iron Works	13 Sep, 1920	18 Feb, 1921	26 Apr, 1921
Macdonough	Union Iron Works	24 May, 1920	15 Dec, 1920	30 Apr, 1921
Farenholt	Union Iron Works	13 Sep, 1920	9 Mar, 1921	10 May, 1921
Sumner	Union Iron Works	27 Aug, 1919	24 Nov, 1920	27 May, 1921	Sold 1934
Corry	Union Iron Works	15 Sep, 1920	28 Mar, 1921	25 May, 1921
Melvin	Union Iron Works	15 Sep, 1920	11 Apr, 1921	31 May, 1921
Litchfield	Mare Island NYd	15 Jan, 1919	12 Aug, 1919	12 May, 1920
Zane	Mare Island NYd	15 Jan, 1919	12 Aug, 1919	15 Feb, 1921
Wasmuth	Mare Island NYd	12 Aug, 1919	15 Sep, 1920	16 Dec, 1921	Foundered 29 Dec, 1942
Trever	Mare Island NYd	12 Aug, 1919	15 Sep, 1920	3 Aug, 1922
Perry	Mare Island NYd	15 Sep, 1920	29 Oct, 1921	7 Aug, 1922	Mined 13 Sep, 1944
Decatur	Mare Island NYd	15 Sep, 1920	29 Oct, 1921	9 Aug, 1922
Hulbert	Norfolk NYd	18 Nov, 1918	28 Jun, 1919	27 Oct, 1920
Noa	Norfolk NYd	18 Nov, 1918	28 Jun, 1919	15 Feb, 1921	Collision 12 Sep, 1944
William B. Preston	Norfolk NYd	18 Nov, 1918	9 Aug, 1919	23 Aug, 1920
Preble	Bath Iron Works	12 Apr, 1919	8 Mar, 1920	19 Mar, 1920
Sicard	Bath Iron Works	18 Jun, 1919	20 Apr, 1920	9 Jun, 1920
Pruitt	Bath Iron Works	25 Jun, 1919	2 Aug, 1920	2 Sep, 1920

Armament

Main Battery

Most were fitted in the customary "flush decker" manner:

• one 4-in/50cal gun forward
• two 4-in/50cal guns on each side at the shoulder
• one 4-in/50cal gun right aft

In Hatfield, Brooks, Gilmer, Fox and Kane, the guns were larger: 5-in/51cal. In Hovey and Long the mounts were twin-barrel Mark 44 4-in/50cal.

Other Guns

• one 3-in/23cal A.A. gun on aft deckhouse (sometimes swapped with after 4-in gun)

Torpedoes

• four triple torpedo tube mounts situated two to each side toward the aft

Depth Charges

This varied somewhat, but generally:

• one-two depth charge racks aft
• Y-gun projector forward of aft deck house

See Also

• Wikipedia

Bibliography

• Gray, Randal (editor) (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
• Friedman, Norman (1985). U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. (on Amazon.com).