Benham class destroyer

USS Benham, the lead ship of the class
Class overview
Builders:	Federal Shipbuilding Boston Navy Yard Philadelphia Naval Shipyard Norfolk Naval Shipyard Charleston Navy Yard Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Operators:	United States Navy
Preceded by:	Somers-class destroyer
Succeeded by:	Sims-class destroyer
Built:	1936–1939
In commission:	1939–1946
Completed:	10
Lost:	2
Retired:	8
General characteristics
Type:	Destroyer
Displacement:	1,500 tons (standard) 2,350 tons (full load)
Length:	340 ft 9 in (103.86 m)
Beam:	35 ft 6 in (10.82 m)
Draught:	13 ft 3 in (4.04 m)
Propulsion:	3 Boilers 2 Westinghouse Turbines: 50,000 shp (37 KW)
Speed:	37.7 knots (75 km/h)
Complement:	16 officers 235 enlisted
Armament:	4 × single 5 inch/38 caliber guns 2 × twin 40 mm Bofors guns 16 × 21 in torpedo tubes 4 * .50 Machine guns

Ten Benham-class destroyers were commissioned into United States Navy during 1938 and 1939. Much of their design is based upon the previous Gridley- and Bagley-class destroyers. Two of the class were lost during World War II, three would be scrapped in 1947, while the remaining five ships would be scuttled after being contaminated from the atomic bomb tests in the Pacific.

Ships in class

• USS Benham (DD-397), torpedoed by Japanese at Naval Battle of Guadalcanal November 15, 1942, scuttled by Gwin^[1]
• USS Ellet (DD-398)
• USS Lang (DD-399)
• USS Mayrant (DD-402)
• USS Trippe (DD-403)
• USS Rhind (DD-404)
• USS Rowan (DD-405), torpedoed by German E-boats while on convoy duty between Salerno and Oran September 11, 1943
• USS Stack (DD-406)
• USS Sterett (DD-407)
• USS Wilson (DD-408)

See also

Media related to Benham class destroyers at Wikimedia Commons

References

1. ^ Lenton, H. T. American Fleet and Escort Destroyers (New York: Doubleday, 1973), Volume 1, p.62.

External links

• Benham-class destroyers at Destroyer History Foundation
• navsource.org: USS Benham
• destroyers.org: Benham Class
• destoyersonline.com: The Benham Class