Aviation Naval Warfare Land Systems Small Arms By Flag By Year By Tag

USS Sampson (DD-63)

1916 WORLD WAR 1

History of USS Sampson (DD-63)

By the turn of the century, capital ships had played an important role in modern steel navies and it became imperative to develop a counter-attack, which came in the form of "torpedo boats". Torpedo boat destroyers, in turn, are designed to neutralize the threat posed by torpedo boats, which can easily maneuver beyond and strike large capital ships.

The name Torpedo Boat Destroyer was eventually shortened to "Destroyer", a name that is still in use today - but the ships all originated from the old Torpedo Boat Destroyer.

For the growing US Navy, the Samson class formed a fleet of torpedo boat destroyers. The group grew to six ships and was personally led by USS Sampson (DD-63). The warship was laid by the Fall River Shipbuilding Company on April 21, 1915, and launched on March 4, 1916.

It officially entered service with the United States Navy (USN) on June 27, 1916.

At this point in history, European empires had gone to war, beginning World War I (1914-1918). The United States was not involved in the conflict until 1917.

Still, U.S. leaders are not hiding developments in continental Europe, and the procurement program is still at full speed including the USS Sampson.

The destroyer displaces 1,110 tons under normal load and 1,225 tons under full load. It has a length of 315 feet, a beam of 30.5 feet, and a draft of 10.8 feet. Power comes from 4 x boiler units feeding 2 x Curtis turbines producing 17,700 hp and driving 2 x axles. The warship was advancing at a speed of nearly 30 knots.

The crew consists of 99 people.

Mounted armament consists of 4 x 4" (100 mm) /50 caliber main guns, supported by 2 x 1 pound (37 mm) anti-aircraft (AA) guns, which can be used to counter enemy 12 x 21" ( 533 mm) torpedo tubes were also carried on four triple-tube launch vehicles.

Sampson's profile is long and thin. The bridge is set near the forecastle and the four funnels are located amidships. Two masts were erected at each end of the serial funnel. The turrets are exposed and scattered on the main deck of the warship.

After commissioning in 1916, the USS Sampson was assigned to the Atlantic Destroyer Force, which brought her within range of European waters. Sampson played a key role in escorting the convoy before America's direct involvement in World War I. She made her first trip to Europe when she arrived in Irish waters in May 1917, then concentrated her wartime career near the British Isles and was further called upon to protect American transport ships arriving in France (at which point she became a depth bomb). Projector, armor case added).

Their main base of operations is outside Queenstown, Ireland. In November 1918, the last month of the war, the USS Sampson left Brest, France, to help launch the USS George Washington aboard the USS President Woodrow Wilson. She left European waters in January 1919.

That same year, the warship returned to the United States and arrived at the New York Navy Yard for repairs. During this time, she was deployed as part of the 4th Division's 2nd Fleet destroyer force.

She then served at the Naval Torpedo Station in Newport, Rhode Island, where she was assigned to test Navy mines and torpedoes. Her last notable service was escorting an NC-4 "Nancy" airship across the Atlantic in May 1919 - the first successful transatlantic air crossing.

The aircraft carrier HMS Sampson was decommissioned in 1921 and remained on the sidelines until July 1935, when she was ordered to be scrapped in order to comply with new restrictions imposed by the London Naval Treaty on major powers. She was sold in September 1936.