View source for Somers-class destroyer

{{short description|Destroyer class of the US Navy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=File:USS Somers (DD-381) underway geä.jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''Somers'' in 1944
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Somers'' class
|Builders=
*[[Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company|Federal Shipbuilding]]
*[[Bath Iron Works]]
|Operators={{navy|United States|1912}}
|Class before={{sclass|Bagley|destroyer|4}}
|Class after={{sclass|Benham|destroyer|4}}
|Subclasses=
|Built range=1935–1939
|In commission range=1937–1945
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=5
|Total ships cancelled=
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=1
|Total ships retired=4
|Total ships preserved=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Destroyer]]
|Ship displacement=*1,840&nbsp;tons standard,
*2,767&nbsp;tons full load
|Ship length={{convert|381|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|36|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft={{convert|10|ft|4|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=*4 [[Babcock & Wilcox boiler]]s,
*2 [[General Electric]] [[gear]]ed [[steam turbine]]s,
*{{convert|52000|shp|kW}} (design),
*{{convert|53271|shp|kW}} (trials)
|Ship propulsion=2 shafts
|Ship speed={{convert|36|kn|abbr=on}} design, {{convert|38.6|kn|abbr=on}} trials
|Ship range={{convert|7020|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|12|kn|abbr=on}}
|Ship complement=*10 officers, 225 enlisted (peacetime)
*16 officers, 278 enlisted (wartime)
|Ship sensors=
* Mk35 GFCS<ref>Friedman p. 404</ref>
*1 × [[SC radar]]
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=
*'''As built:'''
* 4 × twin [[5"/38 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}/38 caliber guns]]
* 2 × quad [[1.1"/75 caliber gun|{{convert|1.1|in|mm|abbr=on}}/75 caliber guns]]
* 2 × [[M2 Browning|.50 caliber machine guns]] (12.7 mm)
* 3 × quad [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s, 12 [[torpedo]]es
* 2 × [[Depth charge]] stern racks
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=* Armament varied greatly from ship to ship during World War II.
}}
|}

The '''''Somers''-class destroyer''' was a class of five 1850-ton [[United States Navy]] [[destroyer]]s based on the {{sclass|Porter|destroyer|4}}. They were answers to the large destroyers that the [[Imperial Japanese Navy|Japanese navy]] was building at the time, and were initially intended to be [[flotilla leaders]]. They were laid down from 1935–1936 and commissioned from 1937–1939. They were built to round-out the thirteen destroyers of 1,850 tons [[standard displacement]] allowed by the tonnage limits of the [[London Naval Treaty]], and were originally intended to be repeat ''Porter''s. However, new high-pressure, high-temperature [[boiler]]s became available, allowing the use of a single stack. This combined with weight savings (including elimination of reload torpedoes) allowed an increase from two quadruple center-line [[torpedo tube]] mounts to three. However, the ''Somers'' class were still over-weight and top-heavy.<ref name="Friedman, pp. 84-86">Friedman, pp. 84–86</ref> This was the first US destroyer class to use {{convert|600|psi|abbr=on}} steam [[superheated steam|superheated]] to {{convert|850|°F|abbr=on}},<ref name="Friedman, pp. 464-465">Friedman, pp. 464–465</ref> which became standard for US warships built in the late 1930s and [[World War II]].<ref name="Register">Bauer and Roberts, pp. 186–187</ref>

Like the ''Porter''s, they were originally built with eight [[5"/38 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|adj=on|0}}/38 caliber guns]] in four single-purpose (surface action only) twin mounts.<ref name="NavWeaps5in38mounts">{{cite web |url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_5-38_mk12.htm|title=DiGiulian, Tony, 5"/38 (12.7 cm) Mark 12 at NavWeaps.com |access-date=2015-06-30}}</ref>  [[Anti-aircraft]] (AA) protection was initially provided by two quadruple [[1.1"/75 caliber gun|{{convert|1.1|in|mm|adj=on}} machine cannon mounts]] and two [[M2 Browning|.50-caliber machine guns]].  The 1.1-inch mounts were intended to compensate for the 5-inch guns' lack of AA capability; in the 1930s this was thought to be sufficient. As with the ''Porter''s, the ''Somers''' main armament was reduced to six guns (and replaced with dual-purpose mounts totaling five guns in ''Davis'' and ''Jouett'') during World War II, with the anti-aircraft armament replaced by [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm Bofors]] and [[20 mm Oerlikon]] guns and the torpedo armament reduced to eight tubes.<ref name="Register"/> In two ships (''Davis'' and ''Jouett'') the torpedo armament was eliminated to maximize the number of 40&nbsp;mm guns.<ref name="Friedman, p. 219">Friedman, p. 219</ref>

All of the class served in World War II, initially on [[Neutrality Patrol]]s in the Atlantic and [[Caribbean]]. In early 1942 ''Warrington'' and ''Sampson'' were transferred to the [[Southeast Pacific Area]], where they primarily escorted convoys between the [[Panama Canal]] and the [[Society Islands]]. In mid-1943 these two were transferred to the [[Southwest Pacific Area]] and operated near [[New Guinea]] and in the [[Solomon Islands]]; the others operated off [[Brazil]] and in the Caribbean and [[South Atlantic]]. In May 1944 all were transferred to the North Atlantic to support the [[invasion of Normandy]], which ''Somers'', ''Davis'', and ''Jouett'' were directly involved in. ''Somers'' and ''Jouett'' supported the [[Operation Dragoon|invasion of southern France]] in August. ''Warrington'' foundered in a [[hurricane]] in the [[Bahamas]] in September 1944.  The others escorted convoys for the remainder of the war, and were scrapped by 1947.<ref name="Somers-class destroyers">[http://destroyerhistory.org/goldplater/somersclass/ ''Somers''-class destroyers] at [http://destroyerhistory.org/ Destroyer History Foundation]</ref>

==Design==
The five ''Somers'' class were built to round out the eight ''Porter''-class 1850-ton destroyers to the [[London Naval Treaty]] tonnage limit of thirteen such ships, and were originally intended to be repeat ''Porter''s. However, controversial (for the time) high-pressure, high-temperature air-encased [[boiler]]s derived from the ones installed in the modernized [[battleship]] {{USS|New Mexico|BB-40|2}} became available, and the class was built to a modified design by [[Gibbs & Cox]]. The new boilers allowed the use of a single stack. This combined with weight savings (including elimination of reload torpedoes) allowed an increase from two quadruple centerline [[torpedo tube]] mounts to three (versus the ''Porter''s). However, the ''Somers'' class were still over-weight and top-heavy.<ref name="Friedman, pp. 84-86"/> The resulting broadside of twelve torpedo tubes was the heaviest ever on a US destroyer; other classes ({{sclass|Gridley|destroyer|5}}, {{sclass|Bagley|destroyer|5}}, and {{sclass|Benham|destroyer|5}}) with sixteen torpedo tubes had an eight-tube broadside.<ref name="Register"/> Gun armament remained the same as the ''Porter''s, with eight 5-inch/38 [[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] single purpose (anti-surface only) guns in four twin mounts.<ref name="NavWeaps5in38mounts"/> Two quadruple 1.1-inch machine cannon mounts were added to compensate for the lack of main battery anti-aircraft capability.

===Engineering===
The ''Somers''-class propulsion plant was the most advanced yet installed in a US Navy destroyer. Compared with the ''Porter''s, four [[Babcock & Wilcox]] boilers of a new air-encased design raised the design horsepower from {{convert|50000|shp|kW|lk=in}} to {{convert|52000|shp|kW}}. Steam conditions rose to {{convert|600|psi|abbr=on}}, [[superheated steam|superheated]] to {{convert|850|°F|abbr=on}} for the first time;<ref name="Friedman, pp. 464-465"/> this became standard for US warships built in the late 1930s and World War II.<ref name="Register"/> Boiler [[economizer]]s were included for improved fuel efficiency. The main [[steam turbine]]s were [[steam turbine#Impulse turbines|impulse-type]] (also called Curtis turbines) and included cruising turbines and double-reduction [[gear]]ing.<ref>[http://destroyerhistory.org/assets/pdf/generalinformationbooks/381somers_GIBook.pdf USS ''Somers'' and USS ''Warrington'' General Information Book with as-built data] at [http://destroyerhistory.org/ Destroyer History Foundation]</ref> This increased the ships' range from {{convert|6380|nmi|lk=in}} to {{convert|7020|nmi}}.<ref name="Friedman, pp. 464-465"/>

===Armament===
[[File:USS Davis (DD-395) underway c1945.jpg|thumb|right|{{USS|Davis|DD-395|6}} in 1945, with five dual-purpose 5-inch guns]]

Like the ''Porter''s, the ''Somers'' class were originally built with eight [[5"/38 caliber gun|Mark 12 5-inch/38 caliber guns]] in four Mark 22 single purpose (anti-surface only) twin mounts.<ref name="NavWeaps5in38mounts"/> Torpedo armament was increased to twelve {{convert|21|in|mm|adj=on|0}} tubes in three quad mountings on the centerline, but with no reloads. The [[Mark 15 torpedo]] was equipped.<ref>{{cite web | title = Torpedo History: Torpedo Mk 15 | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/museums/keyport/html/part2.htm | access-date = 2015-07-07 | archive-date = 15 September 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140915054904/http://www.history.navy.mil/museums/keyport/html/part2.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref> [[Anti-aircraft]] (AA) protection was initially provided by two quadruple [[1.1"/75 caliber gun|1.1-inch machine cannon mounts]] and two [[M2 Browning|.50-caliber machine guns]]. The 1.1-inch mounts were intended to compensate for the 5 inch guns' lack of AA capability; in the 1930s two quad mounts were thought to be sufficient. During World War II, as with the ''Porter''s, the ''Somers''-class main armament was reduced to six guns, with the light AA armament replaced by up to six [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm Bofors]] in twin mounts and several [[20 mm Oerlikon]] guns by also landing a torpedo tube mount.<ref name="Register"/> On most ships four [[K-gun]] [[depth charge]] throwers were added to augment the as-built pair of depth charge racks. In ''Davis'' and ''Jouett'' the main armament was replaced by five dual-purpose guns in two twin and one single mount.<ref name="Register"/> Later in these two, the torpedo armament was eliminated along with two K-guns and one depth charge rack to maximize the number of 40&nbsp;mm guns at 14, placed in two quad mounts and three twin mounts.<ref name="Friedman, p. 219"/>

==Service==
In 1941, all of the class were based in the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] or [[Caribbean]] conducting [[Neutrality Patrol]]s, during which ''Somers'' and the [[cruiser]] {{USS|Omaha|CL-4|2}} captured a German blockade runner, earning the last prize money ever awarded by the US Navy. In early 1942 ''Warrington'' and ''Sampson'' moved to the [[Southeast Pacific Area]], escorting convoys from the [[Panama Canal]] to the [[Society Islands]], along with patrols to ports in [[South America]]. These two transferred to the [[Southwest Pacific Area]] in mid-1943, with operations including the start of the [[Bougainville Campaign]], a raid on [[New Ireland (island)|New Ireland]], and actions near [[New Guinea]]. ''Somers'', ''Davis'', and ''Jouett'' spent the first years of the war patrolling the Caribbean and South Atlantic, intercepting several German blockade runners and at least one [[U-boat]] ({{GS|U-128|1941|2}}) near [[Brazil]]. In January 1943 ''Somers'' relocated to [[Banjul|Bathurst]], [[Gambia]] to support the Roosevelt-Churchill-De Gaulle [[Casablanca Conference]], later escorting the [[Free French]] warships {{ship|French battleship|Richelieu||2}} and {{ship|French cruiser|Montcalm|1935|2}} from [[Dakar]], [[Senegal]] to the United States.

In May 1944 all of the class were transferred to the North Atlantic as part of the buildup for the [[invasion of Normandy]], which ''Somers'', ''Davis'', and ''Jouett'' directly supported. Although ''Davis'' struck a [[Naval mine|mine]] and returned to the US for repairs, ''Somers'' and ''Jouett'' also supported the [[Operation Dragoon|invasion of southern France]] in August, in which ''Somers'' sank two German vessels and engaged shore batteries. ''Warrington'' foundered in a hurricane near the [[Bahamas]] in September. The remainder of the class spent the rest of the war [[Battle of the Atlantic|escorting convoys]] in the Atlantic and [[Mediterranean]]. Following the war, all were scrapped by 1947.<ref name="Somers-class destroyers"/>

==Ships in class==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Ships of the ''Somers'' destroyer class<ref name="Register"/>
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Hull no.
! scope="col" style="max-width: 9em;" | Builder
! scope="col" style="max-width: 6em;" | Laid down
! scope="col" style="max-width: 6em;" | Launched
! scope="col" style="max-width: 6em;" | Commissioned
! scope="col" style="max-width: 6em;" | Decommissioned
! scope="col" | Fate
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Somers|DD-381|2}}
! scope="row" style="white-space: nowrap;" | DD-381
| rowspan=2 | [[Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company|Federal Shipbuilding]], [[Kearny, New Jersey]]
| 27 June 1935
| 13 March 1937
| 1 December 1937
| 28 October 1945
| data-sort-value="1947" | Sold for scrap 1947
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Warrington|DD-383|2}}
! scope="row" | DD-383
| 10 October 1935
| 15 May 1937
| 9 February 1938
| {{n/a}}
| data-sort-value="13 September 1944" | Lost in a [[hurricane]] north of the [[Bahamas]], 13 September 1944
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Sampson|DD-394|2}}
! scope="row" | DD-394
| rowspan=3 | [[Bath Iron Works]]
| 8 April 1936
| 16 April 1938
| 19 August 1938
| 1 November 1945
| data-sort-value="1946" | Sold for scrap 1946
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Davis|DD-395|2}}
! scope="row" | DD-395
| 28 July 1936
| 30 July 1938
| 9 November 1938
| 19 October 1945
| data-sort-value="1947" | Sold for scrap 1947
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Jouett|DD-396|2}}
! scope="row" | DD-396
| 26 March 1936
| 24 September 1938
| 25 January 1939
| 1 November 1945
| data-sort-value="1946" | Sold for scrap 1946
|}

==See also==
{{Commons category|Somers class destroyers}}
*{{sclass|Porter|destroyer|1}}

==References==

===Citations===
{{reflist|25em}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book | last = Bauer | first = K. Jack | author-link = K. Jack Bauer | author2=Roberts, Stephen S. | title = Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants | publisher = Greenwood Press | year = 1991 | location = [[Westport, Connecticut]] | isbn = 0-313-26202-0 }}
* {{cite book | last = Friedman | first = Norman | author-link = Norman Friedman | title = US Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History | publisher = Naval Institute Press | year = 2004 | location = Annapolis | isbn = 1-55750-442-3 | edition = Revised }}
* {{cite book | last = Gardiner | first = Robert | author2=Chesneau, Roger | title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946 | publisher = Conway Maritime Press | year = 1980 | location = London | isbn = 0-83170-303-2 }}
* {{cite book| title=U.S. Warships of World War II |author=Silverstone, Paul H. |publisher = Ian Allan Ltd |location = London |year=1965}}
* {{DANFS}}

==External links==
*[http://destroyerhistory.org/goldplater/somersclass/ ''Somers''-class destroyers] at [http://destroyerhistory.org/ Destroyer History Foundation]
*[http://www.destroyers.org/class-articles/DD-Classes/Intro-DD381.htm Tin Can Sailors @ Destroyers.org – ''Somers'' class destroyer article] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043602/http://www.destroyers.org/class-articles/DD-Classes/Intro-DD381.htm |date=4 March 2016 }}
*[http://www.destroyers.org/Class/c-Somers.htm Tin Can Sailors @ Destroyers.org – ''Somers'' class destroyer specs]
*[http://destroyerhistory.org/assets/pdf/generalinformationbooks/381somers_GIBook.pdf USS ''Somers'' and USS ''Warrington'' General Information Book with as-built data] at [http://destroyerhistory.org/ Destroyer History Foundation]
* [http://destroyerhistory.org/goldplater/ "Goldplater" destroyers] at [http://destroyerhistory.org/ Destroyer History Foundation]
* [http://destroyerhistory.org/goldplater/1850ton/ 1850-ton leader classes] at [http://destroyerhistory.org/ Destroyer History Foundation]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/05idx.htm NavSource Destroyer Photo Index Page]

{{Somers class destroyer}}
{{WWII US ships}}

[[Category:Destroyer classes]]
[[Category:Somers-class destroyers| ]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United States| ]]