Эсминцы типа «Бейнбридж»: история и характеристики

Destroyer class of the US Navy

The Bainbridge class destroyers were a class of United States Navy Torpedo Boat Destroyers (TBDs) built between 1899 and 1903. The first class so designated, they comprised the first 13 of 16 TBDs authorized by Congress in 1898 following the Spanish–American War(the remaining three authorised comprised the Truxtun class destroyers). One ship of the class was lost at sea during service in World War I: Chauncey, which collided with the British merchant ship SS Rose in 1917. The balance were decommissioned in 1919 and sold postwar in 1920, eleven to Joseph G. Hitner of Philadelphia, and the Hopkins to the Denton Shore Lumber Company in Tampa, Florida.

Some sources subdivide the Bainbridge class into subsidiary classes based on their builders' differing designs. the first five vessels – Bainbridge, Barry, Chauncey, Dale and Decatur – shared a raised forecastle and had two widely spaced pairs of funnels. Hopkins and Hull had a turtledeck forward and may be considered to be Hopkins class. These had their two single torpedo tubes replaced by two twin torpedo tubes during World War I; total torpedoes remained at four.

Some references, including contemporary ones, describe four ocean going torpedo boats launched in 1898 1899 as the first US destroyers based on their tonnage, which ranged from These were Farragut, Stringham, Goldsborough, and Bailey. Stringham, the largest of these, was larger than some contemporary British destroyers. However, at the Bainbridges were considerably larger and had a significantly greater gun armament than the four 6 pounders of the torpedo boats. The Bainbridge class were produced on the recommendation of an 1898 war plans board formed to prosecute the Spanish–American War and chaired by Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt. The poor sea keeping qualities of existing torpedo boats (such as the Porter) and the existence of Spanish torpedo boat destroyers (such as the Spanish destroyer Furor) were cited as reasons for the US to build its own destroyers. (with the remaining three being ). Due to construction difficulties the Bainbridges were completed 1901–02, thus too late for the Spanish–American War. The gun armament of two /50 caliber guns and five 6 pounder guns was a great increase over the four 6 pounder guns of the torpedo boat Farragut. It reflected a desire to quickly disable torpedo boats before they could get within range of friendly battleships. Future destroyer classes included progressive increases in armament. The class was equipped with one or two depth charge racks during World War I for the anti submarine mission.