Effective range was 17,306 yards at 45° elevation and altitude of 32,250 feet at 85° elevation. These mounts had a firing rate up to 18 rounds per minute. Mounts were numbered consecutively from forward to aft (51, 52, 53, 54, and 55). Two mounts were located forward and three aft. The Main Battery consisted of five single dual purpose (Surface to surface and Anti-Air) 5”/38 Gun Mounts. Normal peacetime – 14 Officers – 236 Enlisted.Range – 4790 nautical miles at 15.8 knots.The major ship characteristics were as follows: My ship, USS Halsey Powell (DD 686) was built at Bethlehem Steel, Staten Island. A total of 19 ships of the class were lost to war action and 6 more were damaged beyond repair. The ships were built in 11 different shipyards.

Hull numbers ranged between 445 and 691 plus an additional block between 792 and 804. The lead ship of the class was USS Fletcher (DD 445). Most of the ships were initially assigned to the Pacific Fleet where they were to play a major role in the war.Ī total of 175 Fletcher Class Destroyers were commissioned between 4 June 1942 and 22 February 1945. But the Fletcher Class reverted to a “flush deck” design like the destroyers of World War I. During the 1930s, the Navy had produced a succession of “step deck” destroyer designs with raised forecastles. They incorporated many lessons learned from earlier classes of destroyers built during the 1930s and in the early stages of World War II, particularly relating to stability and sea keeping ability. The Fletcher class destroyers were authorized as part of the 1941-42 Shipbuilding Program. At the time I had not quite reached my 21 st birthday. My orders turned out to be to the USS Halsey Powell (DD 686), a Fletcher Class Destroyer home ported in San Diego, California. Due to a change in legislation it was suddenly announced that all of my class would be required to serve on active duty in the Navy for 3 years upon graduation. My connection to these ships began as I was approaching graduation from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in August of 1956. This is the first of a series of articles describing life in the 1950s on a World War II built Fletcher Class Destroyer. The author served in USS Halsey Powell (DD 686), shown here in an undated post-World War II photo.

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