European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 19, 1973, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes monday november 19, 1973 destroyers new improved spruance class ships Are major switch from old tin cans by Harc Huet is Washington Bureau Washington is Ever since destroyers first went to sea at the turn of the Century they be proven their Worth. They be also gotten bigger and better and the new spruance class bears As much re semblance to the Early tin cans As an air Craft Carrier does to a tug. The spruance weighs in at 7,600 tons while the first destroyers were Only 400 tons. The Navy s first five officially known As torpedo boat destroyers were the Bain Bridge Barry Chauncey Dale and deca tur with Hull numbers from dd-1 through dd-5, respectively. They were armed with two torpedo tubes two 3-Inch guns and five 6-Pounders. The spruance launched this month As the first of a 30-ship general purpose de Stroyer class and the Backbone of the de Stroyer Force of the future shows in con Trast How far the Navy has gone to develop this Type of ship. Their primary Mission is anti submarine warfare including operations As an integral part of attack Carrier task forces. They also have the capability for Shore bombardment and surface warfare and will be capable of carrying Short Range missiles for defense against airborne threats including enemy missiles. We a 5s to  �. Old four stack destroyers such As the Allen were mainstays of the . Fleet Between world wars. An artist s drawing of spruance shows the . Navy s great advancement made in Workhorse tin  the spruance s effectiveness against submarines is expected to be far greater particularly at High speeds than that of current Navy ships due to Suen cing techniques and improved sea keeping capabilities. The ships will also be equipped to operate manned helicopters to extend their ask attack capability and electronics warfare detection beyond the horizon. Spruance class ships will also have two 5-Inch guns and Over the Side and rocket launched ask torpedoes. The new class Marks a first for major . Warships. They will use Gas instead of steam Turbine engines for propulsion so they will be Able to get under Way much faster than today s ships and have a High degree of automation to reduce the size of the engineering department. Gas turbines provide the ships with Many other advantages. The new ships will have Crews of about 270 officers and enlisted men or almost three times As Many As there were aboard the Early dds. Ever since destroyers joined the Navy they have More than carried out their mis Sions. The 68 built Between 1908 and Amer Ica s entry in world War i in 1917 per formed vital service when German u boats threatened to Cut the trans Atlantic life line to Europe. Dds equipped with the first underwater listening devices and depth charges were Given the Job of defensive ask patrol arid Convoy escort. Between 1917 and 1922, 270 of the old flush deck four stickers were commissioned to give the . The largest and most capable destroyer Fleet in the world. Each of these Well known ships had a Dis placement of about 1,190 tons complements of about 150 officers and pm and an armament of four 4-Inch guns two .30 Caliper machine guns and a dozen 21-Inch torpedo tubes. When world War ii started the old four stickers were still around for useful duty in a variety of jobs including fast troop transports. Destroyers in general again proved their value fighting German and japanese warships and planes on far Flung oceans and seas. By the end of world War ii 750 submarines Lay at the Bottom victims of Ameri can ships and Many of them sunk by destroyers and destroyer escorts. Atlantic and Pacific Fleet destroyers took on battleships cruisers submarines Shore batteries and kamikazes. Dds provided gunfire support for the United nations forces in Korea but the Vietnam War gave the modern destroyer the Chance to demonstrate the full capabilities of its sophisticated sensor and weapons systems. Modern guided missile destroyer Barney left  technology advancements Over old world War ii standbys like the Fletcher right. Navy photos