O ' Brien - class destroyer The " O ' Brien " class of destroyer s was a class of six ships designed by and built for the United States Navy shortly before the United States entered World War I . The " O ' Brien " class was the third of five classes of destroyers that were known as the " thousand tonners " , because they were the first U . S . destroyers over displacement . The design of what became the " O ' Brien " class was the result of discussions between the General Board of the United States Navy and the U . S . Navy ' s Bureau of Ordnance . What resulted was a design that was an incremental development of the , which itself was similar to the first of the thousand tonners , the ( which displaced about a third more than the preceding ) . The key difference in the " O ' Brien " class was the increase in torpedo size , going up to from the preceding classes ' torpedoes . The ships had a median displacement of , were just over in length , and had a beam of about . All of the ships had two direct - drive steam turbines and a combination of other engines for cruising at speeds less than . All of the ships were designed for a maximum speed of . As built , they were armed with four guns and had four twin 21 - inch torpedo tube s with a load of eight torpedo es , but all were later equipped with depth charge s . The ships were built by four private American shipyards — Bath Iron Works , Fore River Shipbuilding Company , New York Shipbuilding Corporation , and William Cramp and Sons — and were laid down between September and November 1913 ; launched between April 1914 and February 1915 ; and commissioned into the U . S . Navy between June 1914 and August 1915 . All six ships operated in the Atlantic or Caribbean until the U . S . entrance into World War I in April 1917 , when all six were sent overseas to Queenstown , Ireland , for convoy escort duties . Several of the ships rescued passengers and crew from ships sunk by U - boats , and several had encounters with U - boats themselves ; helped sink in November 1917 , the first U - boat sunk by the U . S . Navy . All six members of the class had returned to the United States in January 1919 and were decommission ed by June 1922 . In 1924 , two of the six — and — were commissioned into the United States Coast Guard to help enforce Prohibition as a part of the " Rum Patrol " . They were returned to U . S . Navy custody in 1932 and 1933 , respectively . All six ships had been sold for scrapping by June 1936 . Background . For the 1913 fiscal year , the General Board of the United States Navy determined that six destroyers would be authorized . The design for Destroyers No . 51 through No . 56 — what became the " O ' Brien " class , was to closely follow the design of the and es from fiscal year 1912 . The chief of the U . S . Navy ' s Bureau of Ordnance ( BuOrd ) suggested that the new destroyers be equipped with ten torpedo tube s and urged that the new torpedo be adopted . The General Board agreed in principle , adopting the 21 - inch torpedo tubes , but eliminated BuOrd ' s proposed centerline torpedo tubes and keeping the number of tubes at eight , the same as the " Cassin " and " Aylwin " classes . The additional weight of the larger torpedoes , of top weight , was offset by reducing the planned two aft - facing guns to a single one . This gave the class four guns , which , again , matched the battery of the " Cassin " and " Aylwin " classes . The design for the " O ' Brien " class was approved on 20 August 1912 , and authorized by Congress on 4 March 1913 . Design . As built , the " O ' Brien " class ships were in length ( overall ) , were abeam , and had a standard draft of . The hull shape featured the distinctive high forecastle typical of U . S . destroyer classes since the 1908 – 09 , the first destroyers designed to be truly ocean - going vessels . The ships displaced between with a median of . The ships were equipped with two propeller shafts and two direct - drive , Zoelly steam turbines fed by four White - Forster boiler s . The power plant of the ships generated which drive the ships to the design speed of . Because of inherent inefficiency of turbines at low speeds , all of the ships were equipped with supplemental cruising engines for travel at speeds under . All except were equipped with supplemental triple - expansion reciprocating engines : , , and each had a pair of reciprocating engines for cruising ; and were outfitted with only one . Instead of reciprocating engines , " Cushing " was equipped with a pair of geared steam turbines for cruising . The main battery of the " O ' Brien " class consisted of four / 50 Mark 9 guns , with each gun weighing in excess of . The guns fired armor - piercing projectile s at . At an elevation of 20° , the guns had a range of . The " O ' Brien " ships were also equipped with four twin torpedo tube s , for a total load of eight torpedoes . Although the General Board had called for two anti - aircraft guns for the " O ' Brien " class , they were not originally outfitted with the weapons ; the later was the first American destroyer class so armed . Likewise , there is no record of any of the " O ' Brien " ships being outfitted with mine - laying apparatus . During World War I , most American destroyers were used in anti - submarine warfare roles , and were equipped with depth charge s and delivery systems , such as Y - guns and depth charge racks . " O ' Brien " - class ships were equipped with depth charges during the war , but no specific mentions of the types of depth charges used or delivery system are recorded in secondary sources . Comparisons with other " thousand tonners " . The " thousand tonners " were the 26 United States Navy destroyers of five classes — " Cassin " , , " O ' Brien " , , and " Sampson " — so named because they were the first U . S . Navy destroyers to have displacements greater than 1 , 000 long tons . The " Cassin " class , the first of the thousand tonners , displaced about a third more than the preceding . The introduction of the thousand tonners led to the " Paulding " s and other older , smaller displacement destroyers of previous classes to be dismissively called " flivvers " , a nickname also commonly applied to the Ford Model T . The " O ' Brien " class was the third of the five classes of " thousand tonners " . The earlier " Cassin " - ( DD - 43 to DD - 46 ) and " Aylwin " - class ( DD - 47 to DD - 50 ) ships were about the same length as the " O ' Brien " ships and all had median displacements in the range of ; the later " Tucker " - ( DD - 57 to DD - 62 ) and " Sampson " - class ( DD - 63 to DD - 68 ) ships were about longer and had median displacements of . All five classes were armed with four guns , but the torpedo size and complement varied . All were equipped with four twin torpedo tube s loaded with eight torpedo es except for the " Sampson " s ( which had four triple tubes carrying twelve torpedoes ) , but the " Cassin " and " Aylwin " classes were armed with torpedoes . The " O ' Brien " ships were the first armed with torpedoes ; the " Tucker " and " Sampson " ships also used the 21 - inch torpedoes . The " Sampson " s were the only group originally equipped with anti - aircraft guns , a pair of guns with a caliber of . Construction . The construction of the six " O ' Brien " - class ships was allocated to four U . S . shipbuilders . William Cramp constructed a trio of " O ' Brien " destroyers , while the Fore River Shipbuilding Company , Bath Iron Works , and New York Shipbuilding Corporation built one ship each . The keels for all six ships were laid down between July and November 1913 , with being the first and the last . All were launched between April 1915 and January 1915 , with " McDougal " again being the first and being the last . " McDougal " was commissioned in June 1914 , two months after her launch ; the rest were commissioned between April and August 1915 , with the final ship to enter service . The cost of each ship for hull and machinery was $ 790 , 000 . Ships in class . All six members of the class served in the Atlantic or Caribbean throughout their U . S . Navy careers . In October 1916 , with the United States still neutral in World War I , five of the six class members ( all except " Nicholson " ) were among the U . S . destroyers sent out to rescue survivors from five ships torpedoed by German submarine off the Lightship Nantucket . After the United States entered the war in April 1917 , all six class members were sent overseas to Queenstown , Ireland , for convoy escort and anti - submarine duties . " McDougal " was in the first group of six American destroyers that arrived at Queenstown on 4 May ; " Ericsson " and " Winslow " followed in the second group , which arrived thirteen days later , and " Cushing " , " Nicholson " , and " O ' Brien " in the third group , a week after that . Several of the ships had encounters with U - boats during the war : " Nicholson " , working with in November 1917 , helped to sink , which was the first U - boat sunk by the U . S . Navy ; earlier , in June , " O ' Brien " had depth - charged and was thought by the British Admiralty to have seriously damaged the U - boat , but post - war analysis of records showed that " U - 16 " survived the attack and returned safely to port . All six ships returned to the United States in January 1919 and served in various roles over the next two years . " Cushing " was decommission ed in August 1920 , followed by " Nicholson " and " McDougal " in May 1922 , and the remaining three in the following month . In June 1924 , two of the six ships — " Ericsson " and " McDougal " — were reactivated for service with the United States Coast Guard ' s " Rum Patrol " . " Ericsson " was returned to the U . S . Navy in May 1932 , and " McDougal " in June 1933 ; both were sold for scrapping in 1934 . " O ' Brien " was sold for scrapping in 1935 , and the remaining three in June 1936 . USS " O ' Brien " ( DD - 51 ) . USS " O ' Brien " ( Destroyer No . 51 / DD - 51 ) was laid down by William Cramp and Sons of Philadelphia in September 1913 and launched in July 1914 . The ship was the second U . S . Navy vessel named in honor of Jeremiah O ' Brien and his five brothers , Gideon , John , William , Dennis , and Joseph who , together on the sloop " Unity " , captured a British warship during the American Revolutionary War . After " O ' Brien " s May 1915 commissioning , she sailed off the east coast and in the Caribbean . She was one of the U . S . destroyers sent out to rescue survivors from five victims of German submarine " U - 53 " off the Lightship Nantucket in October 1916 . After the United States entered World War I in April 1917 , " O ' Brien " was sent overseas to patrol the Irish Sea out of Queenstown , Ireland . After returning to the United States in January 1919 , " O ' Brien " returned to European waters in May to serve as one of the picket ships for the NC - type seaplane s in the first aerial crossing of the Atlantic . " O ' Brien " was decommission ed at Philadelphia in June 1922 . She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in March 1935 sold for scrapping in April . USS " Nicholson " ( DD - 52 ) . USS " Nicholson " ( Destroyer No . 52 / DD - 52 ) was laid down by William Cramp and Sons of Philadelphia in September 1913 and launched in August 1914 . The ship was the second U . S . Navy vessel named in honor of five members of the Nicholson family who gave distinguished service in the American Revolutionary War , the War of 1812 , and the American Civil War : brothers James , Samuel , and John Nicholson ; William Nicholson , son of John ; and James W . Nicholson , grandson of Samuel . After " Nicholson " s April 1915 commissioning , she sailed off the east coast and in the Caribbean . After the United States entered World War I in April 1917 , " Nicholson " was sent overseas to patrol the Irish Sea out of Queenstown , Ireland . In October 1917 , " Nicholson " steamed to the rescue of , driving off German submarine , which had shelled the American cargo ship for over three hours . In November , " Nicholson " and another U . S . destroyer , , were responsible for sinking German submarine , the first submarine taken by U . S . forces during the war . In September 1918 , " Nicholson " helped drive off after that U - boat had torpedoed the American troopship off the coast of France . Upon returning to the United States after the war , " Nicholson " was placed in reduced commission in November 1919 . She was decommissioned at Philadelphia in May 1922 . She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in January 1936 sold for scrapping in June . USS " Winslow " ( DD - 53 ) . USS " Winslow " ( Destroyer No . 53 / DD - 53 ) was laid down by William Cramp and Sons of Philadelphia in October 1913 and launched in February 1915 . The ship was the second U . S . Navy vessel named in honor of John Ancrum Winslow , a U . S . Navy officer notable for sinking the Confederate commerce raider during the American Civil War . After " Winslow " s August 1915 commissioning , she sailed off the east coast and in the Caribbean . She was one of the U . S . destroyers sent out to rescue survivors from five victims of German submarine " U - 53 " off the Lightship Nantucket in October 1916 . After the United States entered World War I in April 1917 , " Winslow " was sent overseas to patrol the Irish Sea out of Queenstown , Ireland . " Winslow " made several unsuccessful attacks on U - boats , and rescued survivors of several ships sunk by the German craft . Upon returning to the United States after the war , " Winslow " was placed in reduced commission in December 1919 . She was decommissioned at Philadelphia in June 1922 . In November she dropped her name to free it for a new destroyer of the same name , becoming known only as " DD - 53 " . She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in January 1936 sold for scrapping in June . USS " McDougal " ( DD - 54 ) . USS " McDougal " ( Destroyer No . 54 / DD - 54 ) was laid down by Bath Iron Works of Bath , Maine , in July 1913 and launched in April 1914 . The ship was the second U . S . Navy vessel named in honor of David Stockton McDougal , a U . S . Navy officer notable for his leadership during an 1863 battle off Japan while in command of . After " McDougal " s June 1914 commissioning , she sailed off the east coast and in the Caribbean . She was one of the U . S . destroyers sent out to rescue survivors from five victims of German submarine " U - 53 " off the Lightship Nantucket in October 1916 , and carried 6 crewmen from a sunken Dutch cargo ship to Newport , Rhode Island . After the United States entered World War I in April 1917 , " McDougal " was part of the first U . S . destroyer squadron sent overseas . Patrolling the Irish Sea out of Queenstown , Ireland , " McDougal " made several unsuccessful attacks on U - boats , and rescued survivors of ships sunk by the German craft . After a collision with a British cargo ship in February 1918 , " McDougal " was under repair until mid - July , and afterwards , operated out of Brest , France . Upon returning to the United States after the war , " McDougal " conducted operations with the destroyers of the Atlantic Fleet until August 1919 , when she was placed in reserve , still in commission . After a brief stint of operations in mid 1921 , she was placed in reserve until she was decommissioned at Philadelphia in May 1922 . In June 1924 , " Ericsson " was transferred to the United States Coast Guard to help enforce Prohibition as a part of the " Rum Patrol " . She operated under the name USCGC " McDougal " ( CG - 6 ) until May 1933 , when she was returned to the Navy . In November she dropped her name to free it for a new destroyer of the same name , becoming known only as " DD - 54 " . She was struck for the Naval Vessel Register in July 1934 sold for scrapping in August . USS " Cushing " ( DD - 55 ) . USS " Cushing " ( Destroyer No . 55 / DD - 55 ) was laid down by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company of Quincy , Massachusetts , in September 1913 and launched in January 1915 . The ship was the second U . S . Navy vessel named in honor of William B . Cushing , a U . S . Navy officer best known for sinking the Confederate ironclad warship during the American Civil War . After " Cushing " s August 1915 commissioning , she sailed off the east coast and in the Caribbean . She was one of the U . S . destroyers sent out to rescue survivors from five victims of German submarine " U - 53 " off the Lightship Nantucket in October 1916 . After the United States entered World War I in April 1917 , " Cushing " was sent overseas to patrol the Irish Sea out of Queenstown , Ireland . " Cushing " made several unsuccessful attacks on U - boats , and rescued survivors of several ships sunk by the German craft . Upon returning to the United States after the war , " Cushing " was placed in reserve in reduced commission . She was decommissioned at Philadelphia in August 1920 . She was struck for the Naval Vessel Register in January 1936 and was sold for scrapping in June . USS " Ericsson " ( DD - 56 ) . USS " Ericsson " ( Destroyer No . 56 / DD - 56 ) was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding of Camden , New Jersey , in November 1913 and launched in August of the following year . The ship was the second U . S . Navy vessel named in honor of John Ericsson , the Swedish - born builder of the ironclad warship during the American Civil War . After " Ericsson " s May 1916 commissioning , she sailed off the east coast and in the Caribbean . She was one of the U . S . destroyers sent out to rescue survivors from five victims of German submarine " U - 53 " off the Lightship Nantucket in October 1916 , and carried 81 passengers from a sunken British ocean liner to Newport , Rhode Island . After the United States entered World War I in April 1917 , " Ericsson " was part of the first U . S . destroyer squadron sent overseas . Patrolling the Irish Sea out of Queenstown , Ireland , " Ericsson " made several unsuccessful attacks on U - boats , and rescued survivors of several ships sunk by the German craft . Upon returning to the United State after the war , " Ericsson " conducted operations with the destroyers of the Atlantic Fleet until August 1919 , when she was placed in reserve , still in commission . After a brief stint of operations in mid 1921 , she was placed in reserve until she was decommissioned at Philadelphia in June 1922 . In June 1924 , " Ericsson " was transferred to the United States Coast Guard to help enforce Prohibition as a part of the " Rum Patrol " . She operated under the name USCGC " Ericsson " ( CG - 5 ) until May 1932 , when she was returned to the Navy . She was sold for scrap in August 1934 . External links .