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Wickes-class destroyer
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== Background == The destroyer type was at this time a relatively new class of fighting ship for the U.S. Navy. The type arose in response to torpedo boats that had been developing from 1865, especially after the development of the self-propelled [[Whitehead torpedo]].<ref>Friedman, p.8</ref> During the [[Spanish–American War]], it was realized that a torpedo boat destroyer was urgently needed to screen the larger warships, so much so that a special war plans board headed by [[Theodore Roosevelt]] issued an urgent report pleading for this type of ship.<ref>Friedman 2004 p.11</ref> A series of destroyers had been built over the preceding years, designed for high smooth water speed, with indifferent results, especially poor performance in heavy seas and poor fuel economy.<ref>Friedman p.14–15</ref> The lesson of these early destroyers was the appreciation of the need for true seakeeping and seagoing abilities.<ref>Friedman p.15</ref> There were few [[cruiser]]s in the Navy, which was a fleet of [[battleship]]s and destroyers (no cruisers had been launched since 1908) so destroyers performed scouting missions. A report in October 1915 by [[William Sims|Captain W. S. Sims]] noted that the smaller destroyers used fuel far too quickly, and that [[Wargame|wargames]] showed the need for fast vessels with a larger [[radius of action]]. As a result, the size of U.S. destroyers increased steadily, starting at 450 tons and rising to over 1,000 tons between 1905 and 1916.<ref>Friedman, p.19-29</ref> The need for high speed, economical cruising, heavy seas performance, and a high fuel capacity saw larger hulls, the inclusion of oil fuel, reduction geared [[steam turbine]]s with cruising turbines, and increased fuel capacity.<ref>Friedman 2004 p.28–29, 34, 40–41</ref> With World War I then in its second year and tensions between the U.S. and [[Germany]] increasing, the U.S. needed to expand its navy. The [[Naval Act of 1916|Naval Appropriation Act of 1916]] called for a navy "second to none," capable of protecting both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The Act authorized the construction of ten battleships, six {{sclass|Lexington|battlecruiser}}s, ten {{sclass|Omaha|cruiser|0}} [[scout cruiser]]s, and 50 ''Wickes''-class destroyers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.destroyerhistory.org/flushdeck/wickesclass.html |title=Wickes- and Clemson-class flush-deck destroyers|website=destroyerhistory.org}}</ref> A subsequent [[General Board of the United States Navy|General Board]] recommendation for further destroyers to combat the submarine threat resulted in a total of 267 ''Wickes''- and ''Clemson''-class destroyers completed. However, the design of the ships remained optimized for operation with the battleship fleet.<ref name="Friedman, p.40">Friedman, 2004 p.40</ref>
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