Bainbridge-class destroyer

The Bainbridge-class destroyers were a class of United States Navy Torpedo Boat Destroyers (TBDs) built between 1899 and 1903. The first class so designated, they comprised the first 13 of 16 TBDs authorized by Congress in 1898 following the Spanish–American War (the remaining three authorised comprised the Truxtun-class destroyers). One ship of the class was lost at sea during service in World War I: USS Chauncey (DD-3), which collided with the British merchant ship SS Rose in 1917. The balance were decommissioned in 1919 and sold postwar in 1920, eleven to Joseph G. Hitner of Philadelphia, and the USS Hopkins (DD-6) to the Denton Shore Lumber Company in Tampa, Florida.

Subclasses
Some sources subdivide the Bainbridge class into subsidiary classes based on their builders' differing designs.
 * the first five vessels – Bainbridge, Barry, Chauncey, Dale and Decatur – shared a raised forecastle and had two widely-spaced pairs of funnels.
 * Hopkins and USS Hull (DD-7) had a turtledeck forward and may be considered to be Hopkins class. These had their two single torpedo tubes replaced by two twin torpedo tubes during World War I; total torpedoes remained at four.
 * USS Lawrence (DD-8) and USS Macdonough (DD-9) had a turtledeck forward, Fore River boilers, carried their funnels in only one group of four, and may be considered to be Lawrence class. In 1906 two additional 6-pounder guns were substituted for the two 3-inch guns to save weight.
 * USS Paul Jones (DD-10), USS Perry (DD-11) and USS Preble (DD-12) carried one twin torpedo tube instead of two singles beginning in World War I and may be considered to be Paul Jones class.
 * USS Stewart (DD-13) was equipped with Seabury boilers and was the fastest of the 400-tonners on trials at 29.7 kn, but her trial displacement of 444 LT is described as unrealistically light.

Origins
Some references, including contemporary ones, describe four ocean-going torpedo boats launched in 1898-1899 as the first US destroyers based on their tonnage, which ranged from 235 to 340 LT. These were USS Farragut (TB-11), USS Stringham (TB-19), USS Goldsborough (TB-20), and USS Bailey (TB-21). Stringham, the largest of these, was larger than some contemporary British destroyers. However, at 420 LT the Bainbridges were considerably larger and had a significantly greater gun armament than the four 6-pounders of the torpedo boats.

The Bainbridge class were produced on the recommendation of an 1898 war plans board formed to prosecute the Spanish–American War and chaired by Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt. The poor sea-keeping qualities of existing torpedo boats (such as the 165 LT USS Porter (TB-6)) and the existence of Spanish torpedo boat destroyers (such as the 370 LT SPANISH DESTROYER Furor) were cited as reasons for the US to build its own destroyers. The 13 Bainbridges were officially designated as the Navy's first TBDs when authorized by an Act of Congress on 4 May 1898 under the fiscal year 1899 program (with the remaining three being Truxtun-class destroyer).

Due to construction difficulties the Bainbridges were completed 1901–02, thus too late for the Spanish–American War. However, the destroyer type was instituted in the US Navy, as it had been in the Royal Navy around 1895 with the A-class destroyers. No further torpedo boats were constructed for the US Navy until the outbreak of World War II in Europe, and by then they had no design relationship to destroyers (see PT boats). The Imperial German Navy of 1898–1918 used the term "torpedo boat" for anything up to a large destroyer in size.

Armament
At 420 long tons normal displacement, the Bainbridges were twice as big as most previous torpedo boats. The extra displacement was used for a greatly increased gun armament and a sufficient engineering plant to rival the torpedo boats in speed (28 kn vs. 29 kn). The torpedo armament remained at two 18 in torpedo tubes; although the torpedo boat's mission was being transferred to the destroyer, apparently increased gun armament was more important to the designers than increased torpedo armament.

The gun armament of two 3 in/50 caliber guns and five 6-pounder (57 mm) guns was a great increase over the four 6-pounder guns of the torpedo boat Farragut. It reflected a desire to quickly disable torpedo boats before they could get within range of friendly battleships. Future destroyer classes included progressive increases in armament.

The class was equipped with one or two depth charge racks during World War I for the anti-submarine mission.

Engineering
The best available technologies of coal-fired boilers and triple-expansion engines were used for propulsion, although steam turbines would be adopted in the next generation of US destroyers, beginning with the Smith-class destroyer launched in 1908. The need for faster destroyers was to be a significant driver of naval propulsion technology throughout the type's future development.

Bainbridge had four Thornycroft boilers supplying 275 psi steam to two triple-expansion engines totaling 7000 ihp (design). She made 28.45 kn on trials at 8000 ihp. Normal coal capacity was 213 LT.

Hopkins also had four Thornycroft boilers supplying steam to two triple-expansion engines totaling 7,000 ihp (design). She made 29.02 kn on trials at 8456 ihp. Normal coal capacity was lower though, at 150 LT.

Lawrence had four Normand boilers supplying steam to two triple-expansion engines totaling 8400 ihp (design). She made 28.41 kn on trials 8,400 ihp. Normal coal capacity was even lower, at only 115 LT.

An interesting note on destroyers is that they have continuously increased in size since their inception. The Bainbridges were under 650 LT full load; some Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in service in 2013 displace 10800 LT full load, more than the standard displacement limit on 1920s Pensacola-class cruiser "Treaty cruisers".

Service
A few Bainbridges were deployed to the Philippines 1904-1917. During the US participation in World War I, these were redeployed to the Mediterranean as convoy escorts. Others of the class served in the Atlantic, on the US East Coast, or guarded the Panama Canal. Chauncey collided with the British merchant ship SS Rose in 1917 and was lost. Following the Armistice, the remainder were sold for scrapping or merchant conversion in 1920.

Ships in class
Note that, although the ships are listed below with the prefix "DD-" before their official numbers, this classification was not created until 1911, and until then these vessels were officially categorised as "Destroyer No. 1" to "Destroyer No. 13".