USS Compton Association

The first 2200-ton Allen M. Sumner-class hull was laid down at Bath Iron Works on 24 May 1943, two weeks after that yard’s last Fletcher (a normal time interval within its Fletcher-class production schedule). Changeover was easy because the basic Fletcher powerplant and hull were retained with only a 14-inch increase in beam and adoption of twin rudders for greater maneuverability (a feature also incorporated in Fletcher-class DDs 801 thru 804, not yet laid down).

A strength of the Sumners was the enormous firepower that could be directed forward. Four 5-inch barrels or even six at longer ranges, as the after mount could be trained forward to fire over the mast. Another strength was the layout of the engineering plant and the increase of generating capacity to 800kW plus 200kW standby diesels. As displacement rose, speed fell: on trials, the USS Barton DD-722 made 34.2 knots at 2,880 long tons.

An initially-perceived weakness was that they were bow-heavy, the effect of a dispersed 5-inch battery was more weight nearer the ends, making the bows slower to rise in comparison with the Fletchers. Another weakness was the original bridge structure, which proved cramped. Several ships were completed before a change was made to the bridge configuration; those with the earliest bridge design were refitted.

Today, one Sumner is preserved, the USS Laffey DD-724, "the ship that would not die” located at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.