View source for Sims-class destroyer

{{short description|Destroyer class of the US Navy}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Sims (DD-409) - 19-N-20822.jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''Sims'' on trials in 1939, still missing its Mk37 director
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Sims'' class
|Builders=
*[[Bath Iron Works]]
*[[Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company|Federal Shipbuilding]]
*[[Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Newport News|Newport News Shipbuilding]]
*[[Boston Navy Yard]]
*[[Norfolk Naval Shipyard]]
*[[Charleston Navy Yard]]
*[[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard]]
|Operators={{navy|United States|1912}}
|Class before={{sclass|Benham|destroyer|4}}
|Class after={{sclass|Benson|destroyer|4}}
|Subclasses=
|Built range=1937–1940
|In commission range=1939–1946
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=12
|Total ships cancelled=
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=5
|Total ships retired=7
|Total ships preserved=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Destroyer]]
|Ship displacement=*1,570 tons (light standard)
*2,293 tons (full load)
|Ship length={{convert|348|ft|3|in|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship beam={{convert|36|ft|1|in|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft={{convert|13|ft|4|in|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship power=*3 [[Babcock & Wilcox boiler]]s,
*2 [[gear]]ed [[steam turbine]]s,
*{{convert|51,138|shp|abbr=on}} on trials
|Ship propulsion=2 shafts
|Ship speed={{convert|37|kn|lk=in}} on trials
|Ship range={{convert|5640|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|12|kn}}
|Ship complement=*10 officers, 182 enlisted (peacetime)
*16 officers, 235 enlisted (wartime)
|Ship sensors= *[[Ship gun fire-control system#Mark 37 GFCS|Mk37 GFCS]] (introduced)
*1 × [[SC radar]]
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*'''As designed:'''
*5 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|5 inch (127 mm)/38 caliber guns]] (5×1)
*4 × [[M2 Browning machine gun|.50 caliber machine guns]] (12.7&nbsp;mm)
*12 × [[Mark 15 torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tubes]] (3 × 4) (one mount centerline)
*2 × [[depth charge]] racks
*'''Typical 1941:'''
*4 × 5 inch (127 mm)/38 caliber guns (4×1)
*8 × [[M2 Browning machine gun|.50 caliber (12.7&nbsp;mm)]] [[machine gun]]s
*8 × 21 inch (533 mm) [[torpedo tubes]] (2 × 4) (both mounts centerline)
*2 × depth charge racks
*'''Typical 1944:'''
*4 × 5 inch (127 mm)/38 caliber guns (4×1)
*4 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm Bofors]] guns (1.6 in) (2 × 2)
*4 × [[20 mm Oerlikon]] guns (0.8 in)
*8 × 21 inch (533 mm) [[torpedo tubes]] (2 × 4) (both mounts centerline)
*6 × [[K-gun]] depth charge throwers
*2 × depth charge racks
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=fuel capacity: 444 tons <!--what's that in USgal, Impgal, or liters?-->
}}
|}

The '''''Sims''-class''' [[destroyer]]s were built for the [[United States Navy]], and commissioned in 1939 and 1940. These twelve ships were the last [[United States]] destroyer class completed prior to the American entry into [[World War II]]. All ''Sims''-class ships saw action in World War II, and seven survived the war. No ship of this class saw service after 1946. They were built under the [[Second London Naval Treaty]], in which the limit on destroyer [[standard displacement]] was lifted, but an overall limit remained. Thus, to maximize the number of destroyers and avoid developing an all-new design, the ''Sims'' class were only 70 tons larger as designed than previous destroyers.<ref name="Friedman92">Friedman, p.92</ref> They are usually grouped with the 1500-ton classes and were the sixth destroyer class since production resumed with the [[Farragut-class destroyer (1934)|''Farragut'' class]] in 1932.<ref name="Comparison of 1500-ton classes">[http://destroyerhistory.org/goldplater/1500ton/ Comparison of 1500-ton classes] at [http://destroyerhistory.org/ Destroyer History Foundation]</ref>

The class served extensively in [[World War II]], and five of the class were lost in the war. Of the five ships lost, four were at the hands of the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] and one at the hands of the [[Nazi Germany|Germans]]. The class served on [[Neutrality Patrol]]s in the Atlantic in 1940-41. Except for ''Roe'', ''Wainwright'', and ''Buck'', the class was transferred to the [[Pacific War|Pacific]] shortly after the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]]. All of the ships saw extensive combat service. At the war's end in August 1945, three of the seven survivors were undergoing overhauls that were left unfinished, and were ultimately scrapped. The remaining four seaworthy ships were used as targets during the 1946 [[Operation Crossroads]] atomic tests at [[Bikini Atoll]]. One was sunk by the first blast, while the other three were sunk as targets two years later after serving as experimental platforms.

==Design==
[[File:USS Russell (DD-414) line drawing 1943.jpg|thumb|left|{{USS|Russell|DD-414|6}}, possibly as in 1941 with Mount 53 still equipped and K-guns added.]]
Compared with the {{sclass|Benham|destroyer|5}}s, the ''Sims'' class were increased {{convert|8|ft|m}} in hull length, and started a trend of increased size that led to the numerous larger 2100-ton destroyer classes that marked wartime construction. The class was designed by [[Gibbs & Cox]]. They incorporated streamlining of the bridge structure and the forward part of the hull, in an attempt to increase speed and improve fuel economy. They also had an additional 5-inch gun, with the torpedo tubes re-arranged so one less quadruple mount could be used while maintaining an eight-tube broadside.<ref name="Friedman94">Friedman, p.94</ref>

When {{USS|Anderson|DD-411|2}}, first of the class to be delivered in early 1939, was found to be 150 tons overweight and dangerously top-heavy due to insufficient [[metacentric height]], it touched off a redesign and rebuilding of the class. One {{convert|5|in|mm|adj=on|0}} gun (No. 3) and one quad [[torpedo tube]] mount were removed, with another torpedo tube mount relocated to the centerline.<ref name="Friedman94"/> It was determined that an underestimate by the [[Bureau of Engineering]] of the weight of a new machinery design was responsible, and that the [[Bureau of Construction and Repair]] did not have sufficient authority to detect or correct the error during the design process. Acting [[Secretary of the Navy]] [[Charles Edison]] proposed consolidation of the design divisions of the two bureaus. When the bureau chiefs could not agree on how to do this, he replaced both chiefs in September 1939. The consolidation into the new [[Bureau of Ships]] was finally effected by a law passed by Congress on 20 June 1940.<ref>{{cite book | last = Furer | first = Julius Augustus | title = Administration of the Navy Department in World War II | publisher = Government Printing Office | year = 1959 | location = Washington, DC | pages = 217–222 | url =  http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/Admin-Hist/USN-Admin/USN-Admin-6.html }}</ref>

===Engineering===
The ''Sims'' class nearly duplicated the advanced machinery of the preceding ''Benham'' class, they were the last built with the boiler rooms adjacent forward and the engine rooms adjacent aft and therefore the last one-stack US destroyers. Steam pressure was {{convert|600|psi|abbr=on}} (one reference says 565 psi), [[superheated steam|superheated]] to {{convert|715|°F|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Comparison of 1500-ton classes"/><ref>Friedman, p. 469</ref> Features that improved fuel economy included boiler [[economizer]]s, double reduction [[gear]]ing, and cruising turbines. The main turbines developed {{convert|51,138|shp|abbr=on}} on ''Sims''' trials and were manufactured by [[Westinghouse Electric (1886)|Westinghouse]].<ref>Friedman, pp. 465-469</ref><ref>[http://destroyerhistory.org/assets/pdf/generalinformationbooks/409sims_GIBook.pdf USS ''Sims'' and USS ''Hughes'' General Information Book with as-built data] at [http://destroyerhistory.org/ Destroyer History Foundation]</ref>

===Armament===
[[File:Mk37 Director circa1944.jpg|upright|thumb|right|Mk 37 Director ca. 1944 with Mk 12 (rectangular antenna) and Mk 22 "orange peel" radar antennas]]

The ''Sims'' class introduced the advanced [[Mark 37 Gun Fire Control System]].<ref>[http://www.janes.com/articles/Janes-Naval-Weapon-Systems/Mk-37-United-States.html Jane's Naval Weapon Systems (dead link 2015-07-03, Jane's no longer has sample articles)]</ref><ref>Friedman, p. 93</ref> With a turret-mounted gun [[director (military)|director]] as in previous systems, the Mark 37 system incorporated the [[Mark I Fire Control Computer|Ford Mark 1 Fire Control Computer]] mounted in a plotting room deep in the hull, which enabled automatic aiming of guns against surface or air targets with firing solutions in near real-time.<ref>[http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_5-38_mk12.htm DiGiulian, Tony, 5"/38 (12.7 cm) Mark 12 gun at NavWeaps.com]</ref><ref>[http://www.eugeneleeslover.com/USNAVY/CHAPTER-25-A.html Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Vol. 2, Chapter 25, AA Fire Control Systems]</ref> The system would evolve and be used extensively to control most 5-inch guns on destroyers and larger ships, and remained in service on US ships until the 1970s.

The class was completed with five 5-inch [[dual purpose gun]]s (anti-surface and [[anti-aircraft]] (AA)); the two forward mounts and the aftermost mount were [[gunhouse|enclosed]]. The class proved to be top-heavy, and a quadruple torpedo mount and one 5-inch gun (No. 3) were removed by 1941. Early units were completed with 12 torpedo tubes in three quad mounts, one mounted centerline, the others port and starboard, while later ships were completed (and all eventually modified) with eight in two quad mounts, all on the centerline. The [[Mark 15 torpedo]] was equipped.<ref>{{cite web | title = Torpedo History: Torpedo Mk 15 | url= http://www.history.navy.mil/museums/keyport/html/part2.htm | access-date = 2015-07-07}}</ref> The 5 inch guns were removed some time after the torpedo tubes were removed in most cases.<ref>Friedman, pp. 94-95</ref>

The as-built light AA armament of four [[M2 Browning machine gun|.50 caliber machine guns]] (12.7&nbsp;mm), the same as previous 1500-ton classes, was inadequate. This was partially remedied by increasing the number of guns to eight by 1941. As with most US Navy warships, the light AA armament was replaced with [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm Bofors]] and [[20 mm Oerlikon]] guns within 18 months after the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]]. Initially, this was four 40&nbsp;mm in two twin mounts and four single 20&nbsp;mm guns.<ref>Friedman, pp. 209-211</ref> In 1945, with the emerging ''[[kamikaze]]'' threat and the dwindling threat from [[Imperial Japanese Navy|Japanese]] surface ships, ''Mustin'', ''Morris'', and ''Russell'' had all torpedo tubes removed in favor of four additional 40&nbsp;mm guns for a total of eight in four twin mounts and were authorized replacement of the 20&nbsp;mm single mounts by twin mounts; the latter part was not completed.<ref>Friedman, pp. 218-219</ref>

The as-built [[anti-submarine]] armament of two [[depth charge]] racks was augmented by up to six [[K-gun]] depth charge throwers during the war.<ref>Friedman, p. 194</ref>

==Service==
The class served extensively in World War II, and five of the class were lost in the war. Of the five ships lost, four were at the hands of the Japanese and one at the hands of the Germans. The class served on Neutrality Patrols in the [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic]], [[Caribbean]], and South Atlantic in 1940–41. Except for ''Roe'', ''Wainwright'', and ''Buck'', the class was transferred to the Pacific shortly after the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]], where they often screened [[aircraft carrier]]s. Two were sunk as a direct result of this duty by the same torpedo spreads that killed their carriers; ''Hammann'' escorting {{USS|Yorktown|CV-5|6}} in the [[Battle of Midway]] and ''O'Brien'' escorting {{USS|Wasp|CV-7|6}} on 15 September 1942 (''O'Brien'' did not sink until 19 October). 

''Walke'' became the only ship of the class to be sunk in action against enemy surface warships when she attempted to attack Japanese warships at the [[Naval Battle of Guadalcanal|naval battle of Guadalcanal]], 15 November 1942, but was ambushed by Japanese destroyers. She was hit once from a six torpedo spread, fired from the [[Japanese destroyer Ayanami (1929)|Japanese destroyer Ayanami]], that blew off her bow as she promptly went down and sank.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-03 |title=Lundgren Resource - Battleship Action 14-15 November 1942 - NavWeaps |url=http://www.navweaps.com/index_lundgren/bbActionGuadalcanal.php |access-date=2024-04-12 |archive-date=2021-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203154800/http://www.navweaps.com/index_lundgren/bbActionGuadalcanal.php |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

In the Atlantic, ''Wainwright'' escorted the ill-fated [[convoy PQ 17]], and with ''Roe'' supported [[Operation Torch]], the invasion of North Africa. ''Buck'', damaged in a collision, missed Torch but was sunk by a [[U-boat]] off [[Salerno]], [[Italy]] in 1943. The remainder of the class saw hard service in the Pacific. At the war's end in August 1945, three of the seven survivors were undergoing overhauls that were left unfinished, and were ultimately scrapped. The remaining four seaworthy ships were used as targets during the 1946 [[Operation Crossroads]] [[nuclear weapon test|atomic tests]] at [[Bikini Atoll]]. One was sunk by the first blast, while the other three were sunk as targets two years later after serving as experimental platforms.

==Ships in class==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Ships of the ''Sims'' destroyer class<ref>Bauer and Roberts, pp. 187-188</ref>
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Hull no.
! scope="col" style="max-width: 9em;" | Builder
! scope="col" style="max-width: 6em;" | Laid down
! scope="col" style="max-width: 6em;" | Launched
! scope="col" style="max-width: 6em;" | Commissioned
! scope="col" style="max-width: 6em;" | Decommissioned
! scope="col" | Fate
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Sims|DD-409|2}}
! scope="row" style="white-space: nowrap;" | DD-409
| rowspan=2 | [[Bath Iron Works]]
| 15 July 1937
| 8 April 1939
| 1 August 1939 
| {{n/a}}
| data-sort-value="7 May 1942" | Sunk by Japanese aircraft in the [[Battle of the Coral Sea]], 7 May 1942 (14 survivors)
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Hughes|DD-410|2}}
! scope="row" | DD-410 
| 15 September 1937
| 17 June 1939
| 21 September 1939 
| 28 August 1946 
| data-sort-value="16 October 1948" | Damaged during [[Operation Crossroads]] atomic tests at [[Bikini Atoll]], July 1946. Sunk as target, 16 October 1948.
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Anderson|DD-411|2}}
! scope="row" | DD-411
| rowspan=2 | [[Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company|Federal Shipbuilding]], [[Kearny, New Jersey]]
| 15 November 1937
| rowspan=2 | 4 February 1939
| 19 May 1939 
| 28 August 1946
| data-sort-value="1 July 1946" | Sunk during [[Operation Crossroads]] atomic tests (Test "Able"), at [[Bikini Atoll]], 1 July 1946
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Hammann|DD-412|2}}
! scope="row" | DD-412
| 17 January 1938
| 11 August 1939 
| {{n/a}}
| data-sort-value="6 June 1942" | Sunk by {{ship|Japanese submarine|I-168||2|up=yes}} during the [[Battle of Midway]] with the same torpedo spread (salvo) that also sank {{USS|Yorktown|CV-5|6}}, 6 June 1942. (80 killed)
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Mustin|DD-413|2}}
! scope="row" | DD-413
| rowspan=2 | [[Newport News Shipbuilding]]
| rowspan=2 | 20 December 1937
| rowspan=2 | 8 December 1938
| 15 September 1939 
| 29 August 1946 
| data-sort-value="18 April 1948" | Damaged during [[Operation Crossroads]] atomic tests at [[Bikini Atoll]], July 1946. Scuttled off [[Kwajalein]], 18 April 1948.
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Russell|DD-414|2}}
! scope="row" | DD-414
| 3 November 1939 
| 15 November 1945
| data-sort-value="September 1947" | Sold for scrap, September 1947
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|O'Brien|DD-415|2}}
! scope="row" | DD-415
| rowspan=2 | [[Boston Navy Yard]]
| rowspan=2 | 31 May 1938
| rowspan=2 | 20 October 1939
| 2 March 1940 
| rowspan=2 {{n/a}}
| data-sort-value="19 October 1942" | Torpedoed by {{ship|Japanese submarine|I-19||2|up=yes}}, with the same torpedo spread (salvo) which also sank {{USS|Wasp|CV-7|6}} and damaged {{USS|North Carolina|BB-55|6}}, 15 September 1942. Sank 19 October 1942 after departing [[Suva]], [[Fiji]] while en route to [[Pearl Harbor]] for repairs.
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Walke|DD-416|2}}
! scope="row" | DD-416
| 27 April 1940
| data-sort-value="15 November 1942" | Torpedoed and sunk by the destroyer [[Japanese destroyer Ayanami (1929)|Ayanami]] in the [[Naval Battle of Guadalcanal]], 15 November 1942 (88 killed)
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Morris|DD-417|2}}
! scope="row" | DD-417
| [[Norfolk Navy Yard]]
| 7 June 1938
| 1 June 1939
| 5 March 1940
| 9 November 1945 
| data-sort-value="2 August 1947" | Sold for scrap, 2 August 1947
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Roe|DD-418|2}}
! scope="row" | DD-418
| [[Charleston Navy Yard]]
| 23 April 1938
| 21 June 1939
| 5 January 1940 
| 30 October 1945 
| data-sort-value="August 1947" | Sold for scrap, August 1947
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Wainwright|DD-419|2}}
! scope="row" | DD-419
| [[Norfolk Navy Yard]]
| 7 June 1938
| 1 June 1939
| 15 April 1940 
| 29 August 1946 
| data-sort-value="5 July 1948" | Damaged in the [[Operation Crossroads]] atomic tests at [[Bikini Atoll]], July 1946. Sunk as target in Pacific, 5 July 1948.
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|Buck|DD-420|2}}
! scope="row" | DD-420
| [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard]]
| 6 April 1938
| 22 May 1939
| 15 May 1940 
| {{n/a}}
| data-sort-value="9 October 1943" | Sunk by {{GS|U-616||2}} off [[Salerno]], [[Italy]], 9 October 1943 (150 killed)
|}

== See also ==
{{Commons category|Sims class destroyers}}
* {{sclass|Benham|destroyer}}
* {{sclass|Gridley|destroyer}}
* [[List of destroyer classes of the United States Navy]]
* [[List of United States Navy losses in World War II]]

== References ==

===Citations===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book | last = Bauer | first = K. Jack | author-link = K. Jack Bauer | author2=Roberts, Stephen S. | title = Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants | publisher = Greenwood Press | year = 1991 | location = [[Westport, Connecticut]] | isbn = 0-313-26202-0 }}
* {{cite book | last = Friedman | first = Norman | author-link = Norman Friedman | title = US Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History | publisher = Naval Institute Press | year = 2004 | location = Annapolis | isbn = 1-55750-442-3 | edition = Revised }}
* {{cite book | last = Gardiner | first = Robert | author2=Chesneau, Roger | title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946 | publisher = Conway Maritime Press | year = 1980 | location = London | isbn = 0-83170-303-2 }}
* {{cite book|title=U.S. Warships of World War II|last=Silverstone|first=Paul H.|publisher=Ian Allan|location=London |year=1965}}
*{{cite journal|last1=Zajkowski|first1=Edward J.|last2=Wright|first2=Christopher C.|title=Question 4/58|issn=0043-0374 |journal=Warship International |date=June 2021 |volume=LVIII |issue=2 |pages=101–115}}
* {{DANFS}}

==External links==
* [http://destroyerhistory.org/goldplater/simsclass/ ''Sims''-class destroyers] at [http://destroyerhistory.org/ Destroyer History Foundation]
* [http://www.destroyers.org/class-articles/DD-Classes/Intro-DD409.htm Tin Can Sailors @ destroyers.org - ''Sims'' class destroyer article] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150625040820/http://www.destroyers.org/class-articles/DD-Classes/Intro-DD409.htm |date=2015-06-25 }}
* [http://www.destroyers.org/Class/c-Sims.htm Tin Can Sailors @ destroyers.org - ''Sims'' class destroyer specs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706070855/http://www.destroyers.org/Class/c-Sims.htm |date=2015-07-06 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150422010627/http://www.destroyersonline.com/usndd/classims.html ''Sims'' class at DestroyersOnline.com]
* [http://destroyerhistory.org/goldplater/ "Goldplater" destroyers] at [http://destroyerhistory.org/ Destroyer History Foundation]
* [http://destroyerhistory.org/goldplater/1500ton/ Comparison of 1500-ton classes] at [http://destroyerhistory.org/ Destroyer History Foundation]
* [http://destroyerhistory.org/assets/pdf/generalinformationbooks/409sims_GIBook.pdf USS ''Sims'' and USS ''Hughes'' General Information Book with as-built data] at [http://destroyerhistory.org/ Destroyer History Foundation]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/05idx.htm NavSource Destroyer Photo Index Page]

{{Sims class destroyer}}
{{WWII US ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sims Class Destroyer}}
[[Category:Sims-class destroyers| ]]
[[Category:Destroyer classes]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United States| ]]