US Destroyers 1942–45 Wartime classes

Since the beginning of the 20th century, destroyers have been all-purpose ships, indispensable in roles large and small - from passing the mail at sea to screening larger ships, and where larger ships were not present, forming the frontline in battle. This title would cover the 175 ships of the 2100-ton Fletcher class plus the 67 Allen.M Sumner-class destroyers commissioned during war as well as the five vessels of the 45-strong Gearing class which saw action. These were the definitive destroyers of the Pacific War, taking part in action from Guadalcanal through the concurrent occupation of the Central Pacific islands and New Guinea, to the recovery of the Philippines and the taking of Iwo Jima, and which bore the brunt of the kamikaze onslaught which reached its peak at Okinawa. This operational history is complemented by a summary of losses, decorations and postwar disposition plus an assessment of the seakeeping and fighting characteristics of each vessels providing a complete picture of each class from design and development to action stations and final resting places.

Dave McComb is a management consultant specializing in business process development. A lifelong student of World War II destroyer history, he has in recent years promoted the subject extensively via the web and numerous articles. He is president of the Destroyer History Foundation, which he organized in collaboration with World War II shipmates for the purpose of making original source documents accessible and preserving their perspectives and collections.