USS ''Converse'' (DD-291) was a built for the

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during World War I.

Description

The ''Clemson'' class was a repeat of the preceding although more fuel capacity was added.Gardiner & Gray, p. 125 The ships displaced at standard load and at deep load. They had an overall length of , a beam of and a draught of . They had a crew of 6 officers and 108 enlisted men. Performance differed radically between the ships of the class, often due to poor workmanship. The ''Clemson'' class was powered by two

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s, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by four water-tube boilers. The turbines were designed to produce a total of intended to reach a speed of . The ships carried a maximum of of

fuel oil Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil (bunker fuel), marine f ...

which was intended gave them a range of at . The ships were armed with four 4-inch (102 mm) guns in single mounts and were fitted with two 1-pounder guns for anti-aircraft defense. In many ships a shortage of 1-pounders caused them to be replaced by 3-inch (76 mm) guns. Their primary weapon, though, was their torpedo battery of a dozen 21 inch (533 mm)

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

s in four triple mounts. They also carried a pair of depth charge rails. A "Y-gun" depth charge thrower was added to many ships.Friedman, pp. 44–45

Construction and career

''Converse'' named for George A. Converse, was launched 28 November 1919 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Squantum, Massachusetts; sponsored by Miss E. C. Colt; commissioned 28 April 1920 and reported to the Atlantic Fleet. ''Converse'' was placed in reserve status 11 June 1920 operating in

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waters with 50 percent of her complement on training cruises for members of the Naval Reserve. After testing the Arma

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, ''Converse'' operated from 15 November 1921 with Scouting Fleet. Returned to full commission 1 July 1922, she cruised on the east coast and in

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waters. ''Converse'' sailed from

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18 June 1924 to join U.S. Naval Forces in European Waters, visiting

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and

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before returning to New York 16 July 1925. In 1926 and 1927 ''Converse'' again served as training ship for the Naval Reserve making two cruises each summer to Newport and the Caribbean. From 23 February 1927 she tested the Flettner rudder during her cruising. In 1928 ''Converse'' was designated as Experimental Ship, Scouting Fleet. She made test runs for the Bureau of Engineering in the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

and

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, then fired experimental torpedoes at Newport and

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. She rejoined her squadron at

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4 January 1929 for regular operations until decommissioned at

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1 May 1930. She was sold 17 January 1931 to be scrapped in accordance with the

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which called for the limitation and reduction of naval armaments.

Notes

References

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External links

*http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/291.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Converse Clemson-class destroyers Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts 1919 ships