Name Paulding class Preceded by Smith class Subclasses Monaghan | Builders Various Succeeded by Cassin class | |
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Operators United States Navy
United States Coast Guard | ||
The Paulding-class destroyers were a series of United States Navy destroyers derived from the Smith class with the torpedo tubes increased from three to six via twin mounts. They were the first destroyers in the US Navy with oil-fired boilers. The 21 Pauldings doubled the number of destroyers in the US Navy. The Paulding class derived its name from the class's lead ship, Paulding, named for Rear Admiral Hiram Paulding (1797-1878). Like the Smiths, they were nicknamed "flivvers" after the small and shaky Model T Ford once the larger "thousand tonner" destroyers entered service.
Contents
Generally 21 ships, hull numbers 22 through 42, are considered Pauldings. However, some references list hull numbers 32 through 42 as the Monaghan class. Others break out hulls 24-28, 30, 31, 33 and 36 as Roe class, with hulls 32, 35, and 38-42 as Monaghan class. Curiously, Jane′s Fighting Ships of World War I refers to hulls 22-42 as the 21 [ships of the] Drayton class, going on to say "Unofficially known as 'Flivver Type'"; the book includes Paulding in the class listing, but not as the class leader.
Armament
The torpedo armament was six 18-inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes in three twin mounts. This was an easy upgrade from the three single tubes with reloads of the Smith class, as the new design twin mounts actually weighed less than the older single mounts. The gun armament was the same as the Smith class, with five 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber guns. During World War I, one or two depth charge tracks were equipped for the convoy escort mission.
Engineering
There was some variation in engineering among the ships of this class. The most visible was that hulls 24-27, 30-32, 34, 36, 37, 39, and 40 had three stacks instead of four, with the middle stack being larger as two boiler uptakes were trunked together in it. Most of the ships' direct drive turbines were arranged as in the Smith class on three shafts, with a high-pressure center turbine exhausting to two low-pressure turbines on the outboard shafts. Cruising turbines were also fitted on the outboard shafts in these ships to improve fuel economy at low speeds. However, hulls 26-27, 30-31, and 34 had two turbines on two shafts (Zoelly or Curtis), with cruising stages included in the turbine casings.
This was the first USN destroyer class with oil-fired boilers. Compared with the Smith class, the Pauldings had 12,000 shaft horsepower (8,900 kW) instead of 10,000 shp (7,500 kW), making them about a knot faster. From DD-32 on, most references state that Thornycroft boilers instead of Normand were equipped. However, the Navy's official Ships' Data Book for 1911 shows that other types of boilers were used as well, including Yarrow and White-Forster.
Paulding made 32.8 knots (60.7 km/h; 37.7 mph) on trials at 17,393 shp (12,970 kW). Normal fuel oil capacity was 241 tons with a design range of 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph).
Service
The Pauldings were commissioned in 1910-1912 and were active throughout World War I, primarily as convoy escorts in the Atlantic. They were equipped with one or two depth charge tracks for this mission. All served in the United States Navy; twelve were transferred to the United States Coast Guard 1924-30 for the Rum Patrol; and all were scrapped 1934-35 to comply with the London Naval Treaty.
Ships in class
The 21 ships of the Paulding class were: