Namesake John G. Sproston Commissioned 12 July 1919 Reclassified DM-13, 17 July 1920 Construction started 20 April 1918 Length 96 m Builder Union Iron Works | Laid down 20 April 1918 Decommissioned 15 August 1922 Struck 1 December 1936 Launched 10 August 1918 Draft 3 m | |
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USS Sproston (DD-173) was a Wickes-class destroyer built for the United States Navy during World War I.
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Description
The Wickes class was an improved and faster version of the preceding Caldwell class. Two different designs were prepared to the same specification that mainly differed in the turbines and boilers used. The ships built to the Bethlehem Steel design, built in the Fore River and Union Iron Works shipyards, mostly used Yarrow boilers that deteriorated badly during service and were mostly scrapped during the 1930s. The ships displaced 1,202–1,208 long tons (1,221–1,227 t) at standard load and 1,295–1,322 long tons (1,316–1,343 t) at deep load. They had an overall length of 314 feet 4 inches (95.8 m), a beam of 30 feet 11 inches (9.4 m) and a draught of 9 feet 10 inches (3.0 m). They had a crew of 6 officers and 108 enlisted men.
Performance differed radically between the ships of the class, often due to poor workmanship. The Wickes class was powered by two steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by four water-tube boilers. The turbines were designed to produce a total of 27,000 shaft horsepower (20,000 kW) intended to reach a speed of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph). The ships carried 225 long tons (229 t) of fuel oil which was intended gave them a range of 2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km; 2,900 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).
The ships were armed with four 4-inch (102 mm) guns in single mounts and were fitted with two 1-pdr (28 mm) guns for anti-aircraft defense. Their primary weapon, though, was their torpedo battery of a dozen 21-inch (530 mm) torpedo tubes in four triple mounts. In many ships a shortage of 1-pounders caused them to be replaced by 3-inch (76 mm) anti-aircraft (AA) guns. They also carried a pair of depth charge rails. A "Y-gun" depth charge thrower was added to many ships.
Construction and career
Sproston, named for John G. Sproston, was laid down on 20 April 1918 by Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California; launched on 10 August 1918; sponsored by Mrs. George J. Dennis; and commissioned on 12 July 1919.
Sproston sailed to Hawaii and was assigned to the Pacific Fleet in the fall of 1919. On 17 July 1920, the ship was reclassified from a destroyer to a Light Minelayer (DM-13) and continued operating at Pearl Harbor until 1922. On 15 August 1922, Sproston was decommissioned there and attached to the reserve fleet. She was struck from the Navy list on 1 December 1936 and sunk as a target on 20 July 1937.