Gearing - class destroyer The " Gearing " class is a group of 98 destroyer s built for the US Navy during and shortly after World War II . The " Gearing " design was a minor modification of the immediately preceding " Allen M . Sumner " class . The hull was lengthened amidships , creating more storage space for fuel , thus giving the ships a larger range than the " Sumners " . The first " Gearing " s were not ready for service until mid - 1945 , so they saw relatively little wartime service . 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 . Ten " Gearing " - class ships still exist . ARM Netzahualcóyotl ( D - 102 ) , formerly , is active in the Mexican navy . As of April 2012 two were laid up in non - operational condition in Kaohsiung , Taiwan : ROCS Chien Yang ( DDG - 912 ) , formerly and ROCS Sheng Yang ( DDG - 923 ) , formerly . The other seven are museum ships : ROKN Kang Won ( DD - 922 ) , formerly , near Busan , South Korea ; , formerly , in Izmit , Turkey ; ROKN Jeong Buk ( DD - 916 ) , formerly , near Gangneung , South Korea ; ROCS Te Yang ( DDG - 925 ) , formerly , in Tainan , Taiwan ; in Fall River , MA ; ROKN Jeong Ju ( DD - 925 ) , formerly , near Cheonan , South Korea and in Lake Charles , LA . Procurement and construction . 31 vessels were authorised on 9 July 1942 : 4 vessels were authorised on 13 May 1942 : 3 vessels were authorised on 27 March 1943 under the Vincent - Trammell Act : 118 vessels were authorised on 19 July 1943 under the 70 % Expansion Act : Cancelled vessels . In March 1945 , the orders for 36 of the above vessels were cancelled , and 11 more orders were cancelled in August 1945 . Following the close of World War II , 6 further vessels were cancelled in 1946 , while another 4 ( DD - 927 to DD - 930 ) were completed as destroyer leaders DL - 2 to DL - 5 : Description . 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 previous " Sumner " class , which were built from 1943 until 1945 . The main difference was that the " Gearing " s were 14 feet ( 4 . 3 m ) longer in the midship section , allowing for increased fuel tankage for greater range , an important consideration in Pacific War operations . More importantly in the long run , the " Gearing " s ' increased size made them much more suitable for upgrades than the " 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 - 65 . As designed , the " Gearing " s ' armament was identical to the " Sumner " s ' . Three twin 5 " / 38cal 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 linked by a Mark 1A Fire Control Computer stabilized by a Mark 6 8 , 500 rpm gyro . This fire control system provided effective long - range anti - aircraft ( AA ) or anti - surface fire . Twelve 40 mm gun s and 11 20 mm gun s were also retained . The initial design retained the " Sumner " s ' heavy torpedo armament of 10 21 " ( 533mm ) tubes in two quintuple mounts , firing the Mark 15 torpedo . As the threat from " kamikaze " aircraft mounted in 1945 , and with few remaining Japanese warships to use torpedoes on , most of the class had the after quintuple 21 " torpedo tube mount replaced by an additional 40 mm quadruple mount ( prior to completion on later ships ) for 16 total 40mm guns . 26 ships ( DD - 742 - 745 , 805 - 808 , 829 - 835 , and 873 - 883 ) were ordered without torpedo tubes to allow for radar picket equipment ; these were redesignated as DDRs in 1948 . 1946 - 59 upgrades . Following World War II most of the class had their AA and anti - submarine warfare ( ASW ) armament upgraded . The 40 mm and 20 mm guns were replaced by 2 - 6 3 " / 50 caliber gun s ( up to 2 x 2 , 2 x 1 ) . One depth charge rack was removed and two Hedgehog 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 " / 50cal 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 ) was the most thorough DDE conversion , with 4 3 " / 70cal guns in twin enclosed mounts , two Weapon Alpha launchers , four new 21 " torpedo tubes for the Mark 37 ASW torpedo , and one depth charge rack . FRAM I upgrade . In the late 1950s forty - four of the " Gearing " - class destroyers underwent extensive modernization overhauls , known as FRAM I , which were designed to convert them from an AA destroyer to an anti - submarine warfare platform . FRAM removed all of the DDR and DDE equipment , and these ships were redesignated as DDs . FRAM I and FRAM II conversions were completed 1960 - 65 . The FRAM MK I program was designed primarily for the " Gearing " - class destroyers . This upgrade included rebuilding the ship ' s superstructure , engines , electronic systems , radar , sonar , and weapons . The second twin 5 " gun mount and all previous AA guns and ASW equipment were removed . Upgraded systems included SQS - 23 sonar , SPS - 10 surface search radar , 2 × triple Mark 32 torpedo tubes , 8 - cell Anti - Submarine Rocket ( ASROC ) box launcher , and one QH - 50C DASH ASW drone helicopter , with its own landing pad and hangar . Both the Mk 32 torpedo tubes and ASROC launched Mk 44 homing ASW torpedoes . ASROC could also launch a nuclear depth charge . On 11 May 1962 , USS Agerholm ( DD - 826 ) tested a live nuclear ASROC in the " Swordfish " test . In Navy slang , the modified destroyers were called " FRAM cans " , " can " being a contraction of " tin can " , the slang term for a destroyer or destroyer escort . The Gyrodyne QH - 50C DASH was an unmanned anti - submarine helicopter , controlled remotely from the ship . The drone could carry 2 × Mk . 44 homing ASW torpedoes . During this era the ASROC system had an effective range of only , but the DASH drone allowed the ship to deploy ASW attack to sonar contacts as far as away . An upgraded version of DASH , QH - 50D , remained in use by the US Army until May , 2006 . FRAM II upgrade . The FRAM MK II program was designed primarily for the Sumner class destroyer s , but was used to upgrade the " Gearing " class as well . This upgrade program included life - extension refurbishment , a new radar system , ASROC , Mk . 32 torpedo tubes , DASH ASW drone , and most importantly , a new variable depth sonar ( VDS ) . Service and Disposition . Many of the " Gearing " s provided significant gunfire support in the Vietnam War . They also served as escorts for Carrier Battle Group s ( Carrier Strike Group s from 2004 ) and Amphibious Ready Groups ( Expeditionary Strike Group s from 2006 ) . DASH was withdrawn from ASW service in 1969 due to poor reliability . With ASROC continuing to provide a standoff ASW capability , the " Gearing " s were retained in service for several years , with most being decommissioned and transferred to foreign navies 1973 - 80 . They were replaced as ASW ships by the Spruance - class destroyer s , which were commissioned 1975 - 83 . These had the same ASW armament as a Gearing FRAM destroyer , with the addition of improved sonar and a piloted helicopter , initially the Kaman SH - 2 Seasprite and from 1984 the Sikorsky SH - 60 Seahawk . Some " Gearing " s served in the Naval Reserve Force ( NRF ) from 1973 , remaining in commission with a partial active crew to provide training for Naval reservists . The last World War II surface combatant in US naval service was the USS William C . Lawe ( DD - 763 ) , a Gearing FRAM I , decommissioned and stricken 1 October 1983 and expended as a target 14 July 1999 . " Yang " class . After the " Gearing " - class ships were retired from USN service , many were sold abroad , including over a dozen to the Republic of China Navy ( ROCN ) in Taiwan . These ships , along with " Fletcher " - class and " Allen M . Sumner " - class destroyers also acquired then , were upgraded under the Wu Chin ( ) I , II , and III programs and known throughout the ROCN as the " Yang " - class ( ) destroyers as they were assigned names that all end with the word " Yang " . The last batch of 7 WC - III program vessels , all of them " Gearing " class , were retired in early 2000s . Under the most advanced Wu Chin III upgrade program , all World War Two vintage weapons were removed and replaced with 4 × Hsiung Feng II SSM , 10 × SM - 1 ( box launchers ) , 1 × 8 - cell ASROC , 1 × 76 mm gun , 2 × 40 mm / 70 AA , 1 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS and 2 × triple 12 . 75 " torpedo tubes . The DASH ASW drones were not acquired , but hangar facilities aboard those ships that had them were later used to accommodate ASW versions of Hughes MD500 helicopters . After the " Yang " - class destroyers were decommissioned , the SM - 1 launch boxes were moved to " Chi Yang " - class frigates to improve their anti - air capability .