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 and es, with the number of
torpedo tubes increased from four twin-mounts to four triple-mounts. The ''Sampson''s 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" and es 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
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Finn ...
was equipped.
This was the first US destroyer class to mount
anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
guns: two
1 pounder
The QF 1 pounder, universally known as the pom-pom due to the sound of its discharge, was a 37 mm British autocannon, the first of its type in the world. It was used by several countries initially as an infantry gun and later as a light an ...
(37 mm)
autocannon
An autocannon, automatic cannon or machine cannon is a fully automatic gun that is capable of rapid-firing large-caliber ( or more) armour-piercing, explosive or incendiary shells, as opposed to the smaller-caliber kinetic projectiles (bull ...
s.
Anti-submarine
An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...
(ASW) armament was added during World War I. Typically, a single
depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...
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 , and 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
The London Naval Treaty, officially the Treaty for the Limitation and Reduction of Naval Armament, was an agreement between the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Italy, and the United States that was signed on 22 April 1930. Seeking to address is ...
, ''Allen'' survived into the 1940s and served through
World War II before being decommissioned and scrapped, the only pre-flush-deck destroyer to serve in that war.
DestroyerHistory.org Sampson Class page
/ref>
Ships in class
References
Citations
Sources
*
*
* Silverstone, Paul H., ''U.S. Warships of World War I'' (Ian Allan, 1970), .
* Silverstone, Paul H., ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' (Ian Allan, 1965), .
* Gardiner, Robert, ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921'', London: Conway Maritime Press, 1985. .
* Gardiner, Robert and Chesneau, Roger, ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946'', London: Conway Maritime Press, 1980. .
*
External links
DestroyerHistory.org Thousand Tonner pageDestroyerHistory.org Sampson Class page
{{WWII US ships
Destroyer classes