Editing Gearing-class destroyer (section)

==Design==
The first ship was laid down in August 1944, while the last was launched in March 1946. In that time the United States produced 98 ''Gearing''-class destroyers.  The ''Gearing'' class was a seemingly minor improvement of the ''Allen M. Sumner'' class, built from 1943 until 1945. The main differences were that the ''Gearing''s were {{cvt|14|ft}} longer in the midship section, allowing for increased fuel tankage for greater range, an important consideration in [[Pacific War]]. More importantly in the long run, the increased size of the ''Gearing''s made them much more suitable for upgrades than the ''Allen M. Sumner''s, as seen in the wartime [[radar picket]] subclass, the 1950s radar picket destroyer (DDR) and escort destroyer (DDE) conversions, and the [[Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization]] (FRAM) conversions 1960-1965. As designed, the ''Gearing'' class's armament was identical to that on the ''Allen M. Sumner'' class. Three twin [[5"/38 caliber gun|{{cvt|5|in|0}}/38 caliber]] Mark 38 dual purpose (DP) mounts constituted the main battery. The 5-inch guns were guided by a [[Mark 37 Gun Fire Control System]] with a Mark 25 [[fire-control radar|fire control radar]] linked by a [[Mark I Fire Control Computer|Mark 1A Fire Control Computer]] stabilized by a Mark 6 8,500 rpm gyro. This [[ship gun fire-control system|fire control system]] provided effective long-range [[anti-aircraft]] (AA) or anti-surface fire.  Twelve [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|{{cvt|40|mm|2}} Bofors gun]]s in two quad and two twin mounts and 11 [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|{{cvt|20|mm|2}} Oerlikon cannon]]s in single mounts were also equipped. The initial design retained the ''Allen M. Sumner'' class's heavy [[torpedo]] armament of ten {{convert|21|in|adj=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s in two quintuple mounts, firing the [[Mark 15 torpedo]]. As the threat from ''[[kamikaze]]'' aircraft mounted in 1945, and with few remaining [[Imperial Japanese Navy|Japanese warships]] to use torpedoes on, most of the class had the aft quintuple 21-inch tube mounts replaced by an additional 40&nbsp;mm quadruple mount (prior to completion on later ships) for 16 total 40&nbsp;mm guns. Twenty-four ships (DD-742, DD743, 805-808, 829, 831-835, and 874-883) were ordered without torpedo tubes to allow for radar picket equipment; these were redesignated as DDRs in 1948.<ref name="DestroyerOnline">."[http://www.destroyersonline.com/usndd/sumnrasbuilt.htm The ''Sumner'' Class As Built] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222014830/http://www.destroyersonline.com/usndd/sumnrasbuilt.htm |date=22 February 2012 }} Retrieved 25 August 2009."</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Friedman | first = Norman | author-link = Norman Friedman | title = US Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History | publisher = Naval Institute Press | year = 2004 | pages = 129–131 | location = Annapolis | isbn = 1-55750-442-3 | edition = Revised }}</ref><ref>{{cite book| last1 = Silverstone| first1 = Paul H.| title = U.S. Warships of World War II | publisher = Ian Allan Ltd. | year = 1977 | orig-year = 1965 | location = London| isbn = 0-7110-0157-X }}</ref><ref>{{cite book| last1 = Gardiner| first1 = Robert| last2 = Chesneau| first2 = Roger| title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946 | publisher = Conway Maritime Press | year = 1980 | location = London| pages = 133–134 | url =https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds00ches_314| url-access = limited| isbn = 0-83170-303-2 }}</ref>

===1946–1959 upgrades===
[[File:Gearing class destroyer development chart.png|thumb|Chart showing the development of the ''Gearing'' class.]]
[[File:QSA Item ID 436402 United States Navy ships under the Story Bridge, Brisbane, January 1958 cropped.jpg|thumb|right|{{USS|George K. MacKenzie|DD-836|2}}, {{USS|Leonard F. Mason|DD-852|2}}, {{USS|Henry W. Tucker|DD-875|2}}, and {{USS|Rupertus|DD-851|2}} under the [[Story Bridge]], [[Brisbane]], [[Australia]] in January 1958.]]
Following World War II most of the class had their AA and [[anti-submarine warfare]] (ASW) armament upgraded. The 40&nbsp;mm and 20&nbsp;mm guns were replaced by two to six [[3"/50 caliber gun|{{convert|3|in|0|adj=on}}/50 caliber guns]] in up to two twin and two single mountings. One depth charge rack was removed and two [[Hedgehog (weapon)|Hedgehog]] ASW mortar mounts added. The K-guns were retained. Nine additional (for a total of 35) ships were converted to radar picket destroyers (DDR) in the early 1950s; these typically received only one 3-inch twin mount to save weight for radar equipment, as did the wartime radar pickets. Nine ships were converted to escort destroyers (DDE), emphasizing ASW. {{USS|Carpenter|DD-825|2}} was the most thorough DDE conversion, with 4 [[3"/70 Mark 26 gun|3-inch/70 caliber]] guns in twin enclosed mounts, two [[Weapon Alpha]] launchers, four new 21-inch torpedo tubes for the [[Mark 37 torpedo|Mark 37 ASW torpedo]], and one depth charge rack.{{sfn|Friedman|2004|pp=510–513}}