Fletcher Destroyers

The words

1. Charlestown

   Charlestown Navy Yard built 14 Fletcher-class destroyers. Cassin Young, later associated with the yard through repairs and modernization, was built in California.

   Did you know?

   When Cassin Young entered Dry Dock 1 in 1978, its overhaul aimed to restore a 1950s appearance.

   Park Service: the Fletcher class (opens a new tab)

2. Convoy Duty

   After its early training, Isherwood operated with a patrol and escort group from Argentia, Newfoundland, in 1943. These duties preceded its later Pacific service.

   Navy ship history: Isherwood (opens a new tab)

3. Destroyers

   Fletcher destroyers were designed to balance speed and armament. They often screened other ships, meaning they helped protect vessels that had important roles in the fleet.

   Park Service: the Fletcher class (opens a new tab)

4. Five Inch

   The main guns had a 5-inch (127 mm) caliber. Cassin Young’s wartime diagram identifies them for use against aircraft and surface targets.

   Park Service: the Fletcher class (opens a new tab)

5. Fletcher

   Fletcher was a mass-produced wartime destroyer class. The Navy built 175 ships of the type, and most served in the Pacific theater.

   Park Service: the Fletcher class (opens a new tab)

6. Naval Escort

   Isherwood protected landing craft at Lingayen Gulf in January 1945. Later, a kamikaze strike off Okinawa killed and wounded members of its crew.

   Navy ship history: Isherwood (opens a new tab)

7. Naval Power

   Cassin Young escorted aircraft carriers in the Pacific and rescued survivors from USS Princeton during the Battle for Leyte Gulf. Its fleet service included both protection and rescue.

   Park Service: Cassin Young’s service (opens a new tab)

8. Naval Vessels

   Cassin Young returned to active service in September 1951 during the Korean conflict. Later Atlantic, Mediterranean and Korean patrol duties extended the life of this wartime-built destroyer.

   Park Service: Cassin Young’s service (opens a new tab)

9. Ocean Convoys

   The Navy history records Isherwood returning to Boston with a convoy in September 1943. The ship’s Atlantic service helped protect vessels making an ocean passage.

   Navy ship history: Isherwood (opens a new tab)

10. Sea Lanes

    In November 1944, Isherwood escorted convoys from advance bases to the Philippines. These supply routes supported the buildup after the Leyte landings.

    Navy ship history: Isherwood (opens a new tab)

11. Tin Can

    Destroyer crews called themselves “tin can sailors,” a nickname linked to thin armor and tough conditions. Long cruises meant sharing limited space for work, meals and sleep.

    Park Service: tin can sailors (opens a new tab)

12. Torpedoes

    Torpedoes were anti-ship weapons carried in deck-mounted tubes. Cassin Young originally had a second mount between its smokestacks, illustrating how the ship’s layout changed over time.

    Park Service: the destroyer’s layout (opens a new tab)

13. Transatlantic

    Transatlantic meant crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Isherwood’s September 1943 convoy voyage brought it back to Boston, before a November transfer to the Pacific.

    Navy ship history: Isherwood (opens a new tab)

14. Warship Class

    Fletcher identified a shared design family, while DD-793 was the hull number of Cassin Young. Ships of one class could have different builders and separate service histories.

    Park Service: the Fletcher class (opens a new tab)

15. Warships

    Cassin Young survived two kamikaze hits off Okinawa in 1945. Sailors were killed and wounded, and the ship required repairs before returning to peacetime service.

    Park Service: Cassin Young’s service (opens a new tab)