Somers Class Destroyer Summary

This is a 3D printed sculpt of the Somers class destroyer from EBard Models.

The Somers-class destroyer was based on the Porter class and built in response to the large destroyers the Japanese were building at the time. They were initially intended to be flotilla leaders. They were laid down from 1935–1936 and commissioned from 1937–1939.  They differed from the Porter class by utilizing new high-pressure, high-temperature boilers, allowing the use of a single stack and resulted in extended range. This combined with other weight savings allowed an increase from two quadruple center-line torpedo tube mounts to three. The Somers design was still considered over-weight and top-heavy. 

Like the Porters, they were originally built with eight 5-inch (127 mm)/38 caliber guns in four single purpose (surface action only) twin mounts. Anti-aircraft (AA) protection was initially provided by two quadruple 1.1-inch (28 mm) machine cannon mounts and two .50-caliber machine guns. The 1.1-inch mounts were intended to compensate for the 5-inch guns' lack of AA capability; in the 1930s this was thought to be sufficient. As with the Porters, the Somers' main armament was reduced to six guns (and replaced with dual-purpose mounts totaling five guns in Davis and Jouett) during World War II, with the anti-aircraft armament replaced by 40 mm Bofors and 20 mm Oerlikon guns and the torpedo armament reduced to eight tubes. In two ships (Davis and Jouett) the torpedo armament was eliminated to maximize the number of 40 mm guns for anti-aircraft defense.

All of the class served in World War II, initially on Neutrality Patrols in the Atlantic and Caribbean. In early 1942 Warrington and Sampson were transferred to the Southeast Pacific Area, where they primarily escorted convoys between the Panama Canal and the Society Islands. In mid-1943 these two were transferred to the Southwest Pacific Area and operated near New Guinea and in the Solomon Islands; the others operated off Brazil and in the Caribbean and South Atlantic. In May 1944 all were transferred to the North Atlantic to support the invasion of Normandy, which Somers, Davis, and Jouett were directly involved in. Somers and Jouett supported the invasion of southern France in August. Warrington foundered in a hurricane in the Bahamas in September 1944. The others escorted convoys for the remainder of the war, and were scrapped.

Ships in class

• DD-381 - Somers
• DD-383 - Warrington
• DD-394 - Sampson
• DD-395 - Davis
• DD-396 - Jouett

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