** U.S. Navy World war I First World war destroyers
The U.S. Navy: World War I -- Destroyers
Figure 1.--This painting by American artist Bernard F. Gribble was entitled, 'The Return of the Mayflower'. It depicts U.S. Navy Destroyer Squadron 8 consisting of six destroyers heading into Queenstown, Ireland (May 1917), only a month after the United States had declared war on Germany. (Ireland was with Britain in World War I, in sharp contrast to World War II, and the defense of the Western Approaches was largely conducted from Irish ports.) It took nearly a year before the U.S. Army could go into action. After a rough 9-day Atlantic crossing, the Destroyer Squadron 8 arrived at Queenstown. This was an important historical port. It was where many Irish immigrants fleeing the Potato Famine left for America and the Titanic's last port of call. Commannder Joseph Knefler Taussig had orders to cooperate with the Royal Navy. At a dinner in the Americans' honor on the night of their arrival, the British Commander in Chief of the Coasts of Ireland, Vice Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly asked Commander Taussig, "When will you be ready to go to sea?" Taussig replied in the now famous words, "We are ready now, sir, that is, as soon as we finish refueling." They went into action the next day. This leading destroyer in the painting are the 'USS Wadsworth' (DD 60), Commander Taussig's flag ship. The others are 'USS Porter' (DD 59), are the'USS Conyngham' (DD 58), 'USS McDougal' (DD 54), and 'USS Wainwright' (DD 62). It was at a criticial time of the naval war. German U-boats were taking a terrible toll on British shipping and escorts were desperately needed for the North Atlantic convoys. There is, however, much more to the story of this painting. Immediately after the War, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt commissioned the painting and suggested the title (1919). A little over a decade later, when Roosevelt became president, he hung this painting in the Oval Office (1933). And the story continues into World War II. Some of the first aid America provided Britain was World War I destroyers in the Destoyers for Bases deal (1940).
The destroyer like the submarine in World War I were brand new vessel types. The progentator (torpedo boats) first appeared in the very late-19th century as the torpedo began to develop as a powerful weapon. Interestingly they were first used in the Chilean Civil War (1891) and Sino-Japanese War (1894). European navies began building more advanced torpedo boats, thus the birth of the destroyer. The concept was that a small inexpenive ship armed with torpedoes could sink a massive very expensive battleship with a huge crew. Generally speaking, national navies do not learn from such experiences until their own vessels wee threatened or sunk. And this occuured during the Spanish-American War at the seige of Santiago in Cuba (1898). The Spanish Navy was outgunned in the War, but two Spanish destroyers threatened America battleships. The Spanish ships were sunk, but American admirals recognized the threat. The destoyer never lived up to its hoped for expectations during World War I, primarily because the envisioned range and accuracy of torpedoes was not achieved. The destroyers did help keep torpedo boats away from battleships. But the Royal Navy and U.S. Navy found the destoyer was precisely the vessel needed for an even greater threat -- to defeat the German U-boats. It was entirely serendipitous that the destroyers were available tor this purpose. The America Naval Construction Act of 1916 envisioned building 50 modern destroyers. Eventually the United States added another 200 additional destroyers in the World War I crisis. The destroyers did not escort the convoys all the way to America. They did not need to do so. German World War I U-boats had limited ranges. They were deployed in the Western Apporoaches. And the American destroyers were assigned the most critical assignment given to the U.S. Navy in the War -- getting the American Expeditonary Force safely to France. The German admirals assured the Kaiser and the Reichstag that not only would the U-boats starve Britain out of the War, but that American troops were not a real threat. American troop transports like British merchant shipping would be savaged by Kreigsmarine U-boats. In fact this did not happen. The German U-boats did not sink one troop-laden transport headed to France. And this desoite the target rich environment, the many ships carrying 1.5 million men to France. It was an ignominious and war losing failure. The German U-boats did sink two empty transports returning to America to pick of more Doughboys. And as Gen. Ludendorf would admit after the War, it was the American infantry that would defeat Germany. It was thus arguably the greatest failure of any navy in the entire history of naval warfare. The German Kreiegsmarine not only failed to protect Germany, but actually was responsible for bringing America into the War and thus defeating Germany.
New Vessel Types
The destroyer like the submarine in World War I were brand new vessel types. It was made possible by the invention and perfection of the rorpedo This made it possible for a small ship to desrtoy a massive battle ship. The progentator (torpedo boats) first appeared in the very late-19th century as the torpedo began to develop as a powerful weapon.
Usage
Interestingly they were first used in the Chilean Civil War (1891) and Sino-Japanese War (1894). European navies began building more advanced torpedo boats, thus the birth of the destroyer. The concept was that a small inexpenive ship armed with torpedoes could sink a massive very expensive battleship with a huge crew. Generally speaking, national navies do not learn from such experiences until their own vessels were threatened or sunk. And this occuured during the Spanish-American War at the seige of Santiago in Cuba (1898). The Spanish Navy was outgunned in the War, but two Spanish destroyers threatened America battleships. The Spanish ships were sunk, but American admirals recognized the threat.
Failed Expectations
The destoyer never lived up to its hoped for expectations during World War I, primarily because the envisioned range and accuracy of torpedoes was not achieved. The destroyers did help keep torpedo boats away from battleships. But there were few successes. One problem was torpedo relaiability. Another was that the varioius navies began using their own destroyers to sdcreen and protect capital ships.
Evolving Role: Convoy Escorts
The Navy and U.S. Navy found the destoyer was precisely the vessel needed for an even greater threat -- the German U-boats. It was entirely serendipitous that the destroyers were available tor this purpose. The America Naval Construction Act of 1916 envisioned building 50 modern destroyers. Eventually the United States added another 200 additional destroyers and 400 sunmarine chasers (an early form of destroyer escort) in the World War I crisis. The destroyers did not escort the convoys all the way to America. They did not need to do so. German World War I U-boats had limited ranges. They were deployed in the Western Apporoaches--the coastal waters off Irekand and Britain.
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
The U-boat proved a desestaing weaponm but only id it struck without warning and made no eddort to save the passangers. This violated, goerver, existing criser rules. wj=hich brequired a ship to stop and allow the crew and passangers to evacuate before sinknkig it. This, however, required the U-boat to surfacre, exosing it to the deck guns carried ny the merchant men. It alsi gave the Royal Navy time to react. And conmvoys had escors, sufacing and warmiung would have meabnt destruction. When the Germans began unrestricted submarine warfare and sank RMC Luisitania, the United States threatended to declare war (1915). The Germans backed off -- until 1917. When the economy in tatters, the Kaiser turned to desperate measures tp end the war, espite American efforts to arrange a negotiated peace. Pished by the Crown Primce and the military, he ordered the resumotion of unrestricted sunmarine warfare. The impact on Britudh shipping was substantial--it bmight have been a war winning move. Sinkings of British merchants vessels imvreased alarmingly. but it also brought America into the War, hirst the American destroyers which significantlky increased the cpmviy escor prottction. And then a year later the Amerivcan Expeditionary Force to the Western Front.
Troop Transports
The U.S. Navy was assigned irs most task of the War -- getting the American Expeditonary Force safely to France. The German admirals assured the Kaiser and the Reichstag that not only would the U-boats starve Britain out of the War, but that American troops were not a real threat. American troop transports like British merchant shipping would be savaged by Kreigsmarine U-boats. In fact this did not happen. The German U-boats did not sink one troop-laden transport headed to France. And this desoite the target rich environment, the many ships carrying 1.5 million men to France. It was an ignominious and war losing failure. The German U-boats did sink two empty transports returning to America to pick of more Doughboys. And as Gen. Ludendorf would admit after the War, it was the American infantry that would defeat Germany. It was thus arguably the greatest failure of any navy in the entire history of naval warfare. The German Kreiegsmarine not only failed to protect Germany, but actually was responsible for bringing America into the War and thus defeating Germany. This success of the Americans was not due to the destriyers. The Americans used fast transports that were fastrer than the U-voats which did not have the speed to cath them.
Sources
Dunn, Steph R. Bayly's War: The Battle for the Western Approaches in the First World War (2018).
