The Fletcher Class of destroyers
in the US Navy were the most widely used in any navy during the World
War II period. There were 175 of them built during a two and a half
year period
during the war. The Fletchers were a well liked "Tin Can" by officers
and
men alike. Some Commanders thought them to be the Perfect Fighting
Destroyer.
They were all considered Sister Ships, but no two were exactly alike.
They
were all flush deckers whereas earlier classes had a raised forecastle
deck.
There were two distinct differences in ships of the class. Earliest
Fletchers
had a rounded front wheel house with open bridge wings and a high gun
director; later ones had a squared off wheel house with open bridge
forward and on both
sides; the gun director was also lowered to help alleviate the top
heavy tendency
of the class. There were a few ships that were outfitted with an
aircraft
catapult, but it didn't work out very well and they were later
outfitted like
the others.
Early in the war the Fletchers
were the first destroyer class to be equipped with Combat Information
Centers
(CIC's). They were located just below the bridge at main deck level and
varied
in size and equipment layout.