USS Stevenson (DD-503)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Stevenson |
| Ordered | September 1940 |
| Builder | Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey (proposed) |
| Fate | Cancelled 10 February 1941 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 1,175 tons |
| Length | 300 ft 0 in (91.44 m) waterline |
| Beam | 34 ft 6 in (10.52 m) |
| Draft | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
| Speed | 24.5 knots (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph) |
| Range | 5,000 nmi (12,000 km) at 15 kt |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | Source: [1] |
USS Stevenson (DD-503) was an experimental American light destroyer that was ordered in 1940 and canceled in 1941. Her design and several redevelopments served as a prototype for future destroyer escorts. She was the lead of the Stevenson-class light destroyer, none of which were built.
Development
[edit]By 1939, the US Navy realized the need for a new type of small escort that could be cheaply mass produced. The initial requirements called for a ship simpler than a destroyer but more capable than a torpedo boat. One of the designs submitted by Gibbs & Cox proposed a fast, and light destroyer equipped with two 3 inch dual purpose guns, one quadruple 1.1-inch anti-aircraft gun, four .50 caliber machine guns, and two triple torpedo tubes that could reach a top speed of 35 knots.[2][3]
While the design met the performance goals, it was a novel approach that deviated from the Navy's preference for a modernized and scaled-down version of an existing ship. Despite this, President Franklin Roosevelt ordered two ships of the design from Federal Shipbuilding in September 1940. Naval historian Norman Friedman speculates that Roosevelt's decision was influenced by advice from William Gibbs, head of Gibbs & Cox, and the president’s personal enthusiasm for fast escorts.[1]
History
[edit]_underway_in_December_1942.jpg)
Named Stevenson and given the hull number DD-503, she was awarded on 15 November 1940. However, her small displacment (750 tons) quickly became a problem due to poor seakeeping and a lack of weapons. She was steadily enlarged, but the design was ultimatly cancled due to an unsatisfactory amount of anti-aircraft mounts. Instead, she adapted the design developed for the experimental light destroyers Thorn (DD-505) and Turner (DD-506). This design had her displace 1,175 tons, carry four 5 inch dual purpose guns, and two quad anti-aircraft mounts at a more practical 24.5 knots.[4][5]
In addition to her sistership Stockton, the four-ship strong series would have had Stevenson as the lead ship of her class of light destroyers.[6]
By 1941, concerns about the financial practicality of the class compared to full-sized destroyers led to the project being abandoned and canceled on 10 February. Efforts were instead redirected toward developing a ship based on British experience in convoy escort during the Battle of the Atlantic, which eventually evolved into the destroyer escort. These ships met the initial description of the light destroyer while embodying the lessons learned from the design issues and modifications of the Stevenson-class.[1]
On the same day of their cancellation, the four ships were re-ordered as the last Gleaves-class destroyers. Stevenson was then built and commissioned as USS Stevenson (DD-645).[7]
Further reading
[edit]USS Watson and USS Percival (DD-452), experimental Fletcher-class destroyers who were also never built
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Friedman, Norman (1982). U.S. destroyers : an illustrated design history. Internet Archive. Annapolis, Md. : Naval Institute Press. pp. 139–143. ISBN 978-0-87021-733-3.
- ^ Friedman, Norman (1982). U.S. destroyers : an illustrated design history. Internet Archive. Annapolis, Md. : Naval Institute Press. pp. 139–143. ISBN 978-0-87021-733-3.
- ^ "DD-503 Stevenson". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ Friedman, Norman (1982). U.S. destroyers : an illustrated design history. Internet Archive. Annapolis, Md. : Naval Institute Press. pp. 139–143. ISBN 978-0-87021-733-3.
- ^ "DD-503 Stevenson". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ Silverstone, Paul (2015). The Navy of World War II, 1922-1947. Routledge. p. 70. ISBN 978-1138976856.
- ^ "DD-503 Stevenson". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2024-10-02.