Key Points and Summary – America’s 175 Fletcher-class destroyers, launched beginning in 1942, became WWII’s definitive U.S. workhorse and later fought in Korea and Vietnam.
-Larger and tougher than predecessors, the 376-foot, flush-deck ships packed five 5-inch/38 guns with Mk-37 fire control, ten 21-inch torpedo tubes, depth charges and K-guns, and ever-growing 40mm/20mm anti-air batteries against kamikazes.
-Steam turbines drove 38-knot speed and long endurance. Fletchers screened carrier groups, bombarded shores, hunted subs, and absorbed heavy damage—seventeen were lost off Okinawa.
-Their finest hour came with Taffy 3 at Leyte Gulf, when “tin can” destroyers Johnston, Heermann, and Hoel charged battleships, blunting Japan’s fleet thrust.
The Fletcher-class Destroyers, World War II’s Successful Workhorse
About the same time in 1942 that the U.S. Navy was winning the pivotal Battle of Midway in the Pacific Ocean, the first of the Navy’s Fletcher-class destroyers was being launched in Boston Harbor.
The Fletcher-class became one of the Navy’s most successful designs. Between June 1942 and 1944, the Navy built 175 of the destroyers — more than any other destroyer class.
The Fletcher-class would serve the United States through the Korean and Vietnam wars until 1971, but they served in other nations’ navies until the 1990s.
The class was named for Admiral Frank F. Fletcher, Medal of Honor recipient. It was one of the most successful classes of U.S. naval ships, and most popular with its crews.
The Fletchers carried a significantly increased load of lethal firepower, including anti-aircraft weapons and increased armor plating.
The Design of the Fletcher Class
The ships were 376 feet long and flush-decked. Aesthetically, the Fletcher-class was a beautiful ship, but it was also a superior destroyer. The ships had a displacement of 2,900 tons with full combat load. The ships were significantly larger than preceding classes.
Fletcher-Class Armament
Fletcher-class destroyers were designed to mount a superior anti-surface and aircraft armament to complement their main battery of five 5-inch, 38 caliber dual purpose guns guided by a Mk-37 Gun Fire Control System, including a Mk-12 fire control radar and a Mk-22 height-finder (replaced after the war by the circular Mk-25 radar).
Ten 21-inch torpedo tubes were fitted in two quintuple mounts amidships, firing the 21-inch Mark 15 torpedo.
Anti-submarine armament included two racks for 300-pound depth charges at the stern and six K-gun 300-pound depth charge throwers amidships.
Due to the increased threat of kamikaze air attacks, anti-aircraft armament was increased throughout the war. Initially, the ships were equipped with four 40-mm Bofors in two twin mounts and six to 13 20-mm Oerlikon in single mounts.
By June 1943, new ships of the class mounted 10 40-mm Bofors in five twin mounts and seven 20-mm Oerlikon in single mounts. As the kamikaze threat became even more dire, ships returning to the United States for refit lost one of their torpedo tube mounts and had their anti-aircraft armament increased to 14 40-mm Bofors in three twin and two quad mounts and 12 20-mm Oerlikon in six twin mounts.
The Fletcher-Class Was Fast
The Fletcher-class was fast, roomy, and capable of absorbing enormous punishment yet fighting on. Many took incredible punishment, especially late in the war against Japanese kamikazes, but survived.
The Fletchers were powered by Babcock & Wilcox boilers and General Electric geared steam turbines, although other designs and manufacturers may have been used to maximize production rates. They had a top speed of 38 knots.
The Fletcher Class Was Perfect For the Pacific War
The Fletchers were the perfect destroyers for the war in the Pacific. They served with distinction during the island-hopping campaign from Guadalcanal to Tokyo Bay.
In the campaign off Okinawa, a total of 17 Fletchers were sunk, mostly by kamikazes. Nine others were damaged so badly that they were considered not worthy of rebuilding and were written off as combat losses.
The destroyers were part of the massive screen for the aircraft carriers taking part in the bombing of Okinawa and Japan. The Japanese unleashed everything they had trying to sink the American fleet.
Arguably the most courageous actions, and the most indicative of the quality of the Fletcher class and its crews, took place in Leyte Gulf, and featured a handful of Fletcher-class destroyers and escorts known collectively as Taffy 3.
Taffy 3’s Tin Cans Take On Japan’s Battleships
The Japanese made a classic feint during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. U.S. Admiral William Halsey took the bait, dedicating the majority of his assets to a search for a massive Japanese fleet and leaving the invasion beaches empty except for a small destroyer task force: Taffy 3.
Taffy 3 consisted of six small escort carriers, three Fletcher-class destroyers — the USS Johnston (DD-557), Heermann (DD-532), and Hoel (DD-533) — and four destroyer escorts. It was intended to provide shore support and anti-submarine patrols, but it lacked guns capable of penetrating the armor of the Japanese battleships and heavy cruisers.
During the night, a Japanese task force turned around in the San Bernadino Strait and headed straight for Taffy 3.
The Japanese force consisted of four battleships, six heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, 11 destroyers, and 36 aircraft. Its flagship was the Yamato, the largest battleship ever built, along with the Musashi, which had 18-inch guns. On Oct. 24, the Musashi was savaged by U.S. airpower; 19 torpedoes and 17 bombs hit her in an incredible display of firepower.
On the morning of Oct. 25 at 6:37, Avenger pilot William Brooks reported a shocking turn: a powerful Japanese fleet — four battleships, eight cruisers, and ten destroyers — only 20 miles to the west, steaming directly towards the lightly defended carrier escorts of Taffy 3.
Twenty-two minutes later, the gigantic 18.1” guns of the battleship Yamato opened fire from more than miles away. The 3,300-pound shells straddled the escort carrier White Plains, a near miss buckling her hull and tripping her circuit breakers. Shells from the other battleships loaded with green, pink, and red dye (to assist in ranging) rained down among the unarmored flat-tops.
Last Stand Of the Tin Can Sailors
The thinly armored escort carriers retreated into a rain squall and launched their aircraft. Three destroyers, led by the USS Johnston and the destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts, raced into the teeth of the Japanese fleet, firing everything they had and launching torpedoes. It was a fantastic feat of bravery known as “The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors.”
Confusion reigned supreme. The Japanese mistook the destroyers for cruisers, and the destroyer escorts as destroyers. One armor-piercing shell ripped right through the Roberts and out the other side — without exploding, because the ships were so thin-skinned.
The destroyer Johnston raked the cruiser Kumano’s superstructure with gunfire and hit her with four torpedoes, one of which blew the bow off. But she was blasted by the 18-inch guns of the Yamato. The Yamato reported sinking a cruiser. But the Johnston, although mangled, was not sunk. She made two more dashes, lighting up the battleship Haruma with 15 hits.
The escort carrier Gambier Bay and the destroyer Hoel were sinking after taking multiple hits. The two fleets were a jumbled mess, with smoke and rain squalls masking visibility. Three American ships — the Johnston, Heerman, and Roberts — nearly collided.
The Johnston was wrecked after several daring attacks against the superior Japanese ships. Captain Ernest Evans, commander of the Johnston, ordered the crew to abandon ship. He left with them but was never seen again. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
So impressed were the Japanese by the bravery of the Johnston’s crew, that survivors in the water saw the captain of a Japanese destroyer salute as they passed by.
But then Taffy 3’s aircraft arrived on the scene. The Japanese thought they were under attack by larger Essex-class carriers, due to the ferocity of the American air strikes. Japanese Admiral Takeo Kurita had lost tactical control. Believing he had sunk two Essex carriers and several support ships, he broke off for the San Bernardino Strait.
The Japanese plan had worked, and they had achieved surprise, but the bravery of American sailors on the small ships of Taffy 3 had turned the tide. It was one of the bravest acts in the history of the U.S. Navy.
Later that day, Halsey’s force finally caught and sunk the four Japanese aircraft carriers they were pursuing.
Japan’s fleet was crushed, and it would never again be able to go on the offensive. Their carriers, already bereft of their most experienced pilots, were swept off the seas. U.S. losses were high; 16,043 soldiers and 7,270 sailors were killed. Japanese losses were massive; 419,912 sailors, soldiers, and pilots were killed during the battle.
The Imperial Japanese Navy was finished, but they still had the kamikaze, and those would exact a heavy toll until the war’s end in Tokyo Bay.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications
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