Benson class destroyer

The "Benson" class was a class of 30 destroyers of the U.S. Navy built 1939–1943. The first ship of the class was the USS "Benson" (DD-421). The U.S. Navy customarily names a class of ships after the first ship of the class; hence the "Benson" class.

The "Benson" class was designed as an improved version of the "Sims"-class with two stacks and a new machinery arrangement that featured alternating boiler and engine rooms designed to give the ships a better chance at surviving torpedo damage. Their scantlings, or framing dimensions, were increased to carry the weight of the new machinery. This increased the ship's displacement by about sixty tons. The "Benson"-class destroyer was the backbone of the pre-war Neutrality Patrols and brought the action to the enemy by participating in every major campaign of the war.

The "Gleaves"-class destroyers were built to nearly the same design and were virtually identical to the "Benson"-class. The only visible difference between "Benson" and "Gleaves" was the shape of the stacks (the "Benson"s were flat-sided).

hips of the class

ource

* [http://www.geocities.com/bensonclass/ United States Benson-Livermore Class Destroyers]
* [http://www.destroyerhistory.org/benson-gleavesclass/roster.html Destroyerhistory.org: Benson/Gleaves roster]

External links

* [http://www.destroyerhistory.org/benson-gleavesclass/bensonclass.html "Benson"-class destroyers] at [http://www.destroyerhistory.org/index.html Destroyer History Foundation]
* [http://www.destroyers.org/Class/cl-Benson.htm Tin Can Sailors @ Destroyers.org - Benson class destroyer]

ee also

*Livermore class destroyer
*List of destroyers of the United States Navy
*List of destroyer classes of the United States Navy