US Destroyers 1934-45: Pre-war classes

Since the beginning of the 20th century, destroyers have been all-purpose ships, indispensable from delivering the mail at sea to screening other vessels and, where larger ships were not present, forming the front line in battle.

This illustrated guide details the 169 ships of ten classes introduced in the 1930s: early 1,500-tonners and 1,850-ton destroyer leaders designed to conform to the 1930 London Naval Treaty, plus the successor 1,570-ton Sims class and 1,620and 1,630-ton Benson and Gl...