The Mahan-class destroyers of the United States Navy were a series of 18 destroyers of which the first 16 were laid down in 1934. The last two of the 18, Dunlap and Fanning (this pair laid down in 1935), are sometimes considered a separate ship class. All 18 were commissioned in 1936 and 1937. Mahan was the lead ship, named for Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, an influential historian and theorist on sea power.

USSMahanDD364.jpgUSS Mahan circa 1938Class overviewNameMahan classBuildersUnited Shipyards, Inc.,[​1] NY (4)Bath Iron Works, ME (2)Federal Shipbuilding, NJ (2)Boston Navy Yard, MA (2)Philadelphia Navy Yard, PA (2)Norfolk Navy Yard, VA (2)Puget Sound Navy Yard, WA (2)Mare Island Navy Yard, CA (2)OperatorsUnited States United States NavyPreceded byPorter classSucceeded byGridley classSubclassesDunlap (DD-384 and DD-385)Built1934–37In commission1936–46Completed18Lost6Retired12General characteristicsTypeDestroyerDisplacement1,500 long tons (1,524 t) (standard)1,725 long tons (1,753 t) (deep load)2,103 long tons (2,137 t) (full load)Length341 feet 3 inches (104.0 m)Beam35 feet 6 inches (10.8 m)Draft10 feet 7 inches (3.2 m)Installed power46,000 shp (34,000 kW) (trials)4 Babcock & Wilcox or Foster Wheeler boilersPropulsion2 General Electric steam turbinesSpeed37 knots (69 km/h)Range6,940 nmi (12,850 km; 7,990 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)Complement158 (peacetime) 250 (wartime) officers and enlisted menSensors andprocessing systemsMk33 GFCS[​2]1 × SC radarArmamentAs built:5 × 5 inch/38 caliber (127 mm) guns in five Mark 21 DP pedestal mounts. Mounts 51 and 52 were partially enclosed, and mounts 53, 54, and 55 were open.12 × 21 inch torpedo tubes (533 mm) (3 × 4). One tube mount was on the centerline between the stacks, and the other two were port and starboard just behind the aft stack.4 × .50 caliber machine guns (12.7 mm). Two on a platform just forward and below the bridge, and two on a deck house just forward of 5" mount No. 54.2 × depth charge roll-off stern racks.

The Mahans featured improvements over previous destroyers, with 12 torpedo tubes, superimposed gun shelters, and generators for emergency use. The Standard displacement increased from 1,365 tons to 1,500 tons. The class introduced a new steam propulsion system that combined increases in pressure and temperature with a new type of lightweight steam turbine, which proved simpler and more efficient than the Mahans' predecessors—so much so that it was used on many subsequent wartime US destroyers.


All 18 ships saw action in World War II, entirely in the Pacific Theater, which included the Guadalcanal Campaign, and the battles of the Santa Cruz Islands, Leyte Gulf, and Iwo Jima. Their participation in major and secondary campaigns included the bombardment of beachheads, amphibious landings, task force screening, convoy and patrol duty, and anti-aircraft and submarine warfare. Six ships were lost in combat and two were expended in the postwar Operation Crossroads nuclear tests. The remainder were decommissioned, sold, or scrapped after the war; none remain today. Collectively, the ships received 111 battle stars for their World War II service.