Sumner-Gearing-Class Destroyers; Their Design, Weapons, and Equipment

Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1995. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. Paul Bender, Michael Doyle, and Robert F. Sumrall. xi, [1], 289, [3] pages. Oversized book (measuring 11 inches by 8-3/4 inches). Contains illustrations by Paul Bender, Michael Doyle, and Robert F. Sumrall, and a Foreword by Norman Friedman. Includes Acknowledgments, Introduction, Notes, Glossary, Bibliography, and an Index. DJ has slight wear and soiling. Chapters include Design Background; The Sumner-Gearing-Class Design; Conversions and Modernization; Armament; Fire Control; Radar, Electronics, and Sonar; Engineering and Damage Control. Robert F. Sumrall was the curator of ship models at the United States Naval Academy Museum and was responsible for one of the foremost collections of ship models in the world. He has written articles for Proceedings and other naval publications in addition to illustrating several books and articles. In addition to this work, he is the coauthor of Iowa Class Battleships: Their Design, Weapons, and Equipment. He served in eight Sumner-Gearing-class destroyers during forty years of naval service. The U.S. Navy's Sumner-Gearing-Class destroyers served as a standard for post-World War II destroyer design and development. Their evolution over the course of nearly forty years and three wars is fully covered in this handsomely illustrated book. Robert Sumrall traces the origins of these destroyers through half a century of changing naval technology, showing the great advances made in ordnance, fire control, and steam engineering. Using an extensive and impressive source list, Sumrall describes the ships as they were first completed and in later variations into the 1970s, when these aging warships continued to pay a role in the destroyer force. Examples of both classes were in service in other navies around the world as late as 1994. The Allen M. Sumner class was a group of 58 destroyers built by the United States during World War II. Another twelve ships were completed as destroyer minelayers. Often referred to as simply the Sumner, this class was characterized by their twin 5-inch/38 caliber gun mounts, dual rudders, additional anti-aircraft weapons, and many other advancements over the previous Fletcher class. The Allen M. Sumner design was extended 14 feet (4.3 m) amidships to become the Gearing class, which was produced in larger numbers. Completed in 1943-45, four were lost in the war and two were damaged so badly they were scrapped, but the surviving ships served in the US Navy into the 1970s. After being retired from the US fleet, 29 of them were sold to other navies, where they served many more years. One still exists as a museum ship in South Carolina. The Gearing class was a series of 98 destroyers built for the U.S. Navy during and shortly after World War II. The Gearing design was a minor modification of the Allen M. Sumner class, whereby the hull was lengthened by 14 ft (4.3 m) at amidships, which resulted in more fuel storage space and increased the operating range. The first Gearings were not ready for service until mid-1945 and thus saw little service in World War II. They continued serving, with a series of upgrades, until the 1970s. At that time many were sold to other nations, where they served many more years.