Fletcher Class Square vs. Round Bridge numbers

[Submariner]

Guys,
Does anyone have a list that describes which members of this class were the early "round bridge" version and which were the later "square bridge" arrangement? I understand the change was initiated after DD-517, but I think there may have been some units already on order after that number that continued with the round bridge design. I cannot find a comprehensive list with this info on-line. Any help would be appreciated!

-Submariner

[Donald M. Scheef]

Based on Conway’s ‘All the World’s Fighting Ships 1922-1946,’ “As in the case of the Bensons, the Navy ordered a simplified superstructure whenever possible to speed production; the new bridge design also increased the overhead view available to the captain; this modification applied to DD518-522, 526-541, 544-547, 554-568, 581-591, 594-597, 629-644, 649-691 and 792-804.”

Don S.

[Submariner]

BAM! The D. Man comes through!

Thank you Don!

-Jay

[Brigade Commander]

That was one of those super-obscure questions. It’s cool they we have people like Don to know!

Did not even get a chance to open up my workbook! I also have the list of square vs round bridge Clevelands.

[StarCruiser]

Well, we ARE obsessive-compulsive nuts here so..?

[Submariner]

That was one of those super-obscure questions. It’s cool they we have people like Don to know!

Did not even get a chance to open up my workbook! I also have the list of square vs round bridge Clevelands.

B.C., I would greatly appreciate your list of Clevelands round vs. square!

Speaking of Clevelands, an interesting variant of this class is the Fargo Class of which two were launched and commissioned. This variant had a single stack and simplified superstructure. The wing 5" gun houses were lowered to the deck level to increase stability. Yet another possible model for GHQ!

[Donald M. Scheef]

ibid: "From CL64 onwards, the ships had a new open bridge with a protected conning position below, and without the conning tower formerly used; a similar design was adopted for the Baltimore class heavy cruisers."
I will add a vote for the Fargo subclass to the Consolidated Micronaut Wish List.

Don S.

[pmskaar]

Here is an excellent book on Fletcher, Sumner, and Gearing Class Destroyers. The book was from Warship Perspectives and written by Jeffery L. Herne.

I picked it up at Brookhurst Hobbies several years ago on one of my fairly frequent business trips to California. It contains a wealth of information on the Fletcher Class including illustrations showing the camouflage patterns on both sides and top down, a complete list of hull numbers, names, when commissioned, round or square bridge, and sinking date if applicable.

Here are a few pictures I took of the cover and the inside pages. Good stuff! The last picture is of a Fletcher I painted a while back and is in the GHQ catalog. It is a square bridge type.

[STS]

Those subclasses are something I really messed up with my collection, not just for the US, but also for the British. Since they're almost all based, named and sorted by squadron, there are a couple ships that will now forever be represented by a slightly wrong model.

[Mikee]

If you're interested in Fletcher variants, I believe that WTJ has produced a bunch of 'em. In 3D printing. I haven't seen any, but I have other WTJ ships and think they're pretty good.

A few years a go I painted about 50 Fletchers in various camo patterns, including the four (if I remember right) in MS12m. As I remember, I only had one side on two of them, so I "free-lanced" the other side. (I also had to do this on several 12m ships of the Benson-Livermore class.) I even modified one or two Fletchers to carry the seaplane and rail (I forget the real name of the 'thingy' the seaplane sits on.)

I haven't done much of anything with my ships for several months, other than a few WWI ships, due to s long-term illness (not COVID, thankfully) which at one point put me in the hospital for 11 days. Getting better, now, & thinking of getting back to my sips. Even thinking of possibly getting some of those WTJ Fletchers, but aI m reluctant to do all that work painting the same camo patterns again.

[Donald M. Scheef]

The 'thingy' upon which a seaplane sits is a catapult.
Don S.