Mitscher-class destroyer

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USS John S. McCain underway in early 1960s
Class overview
Name	Mitscher class
Builders	Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine Bethlehem Steel, Fore River Shipyard
Operators	United States Navy
Preceded by	Norfolk class
Succeeded by	Forrest Sherman class
Built	1949–1954
In commission	1953–1978
Completed	4
Retired	4
General characteristics
Type	Destroyer leader
Displacement	3,642 tons standard; 4,855 full load
Length	490 ft (150 m)
Beam	47.5 ft (14.5 m)
Draft	14.7 ft (4.5 m)
Propulsion	2 shaft; geared steam turbines; 4 boilers; 80,000 shp (60,000 kW)
Speed	30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range	4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement	Officer: 28 Enlisted: 345
Armament	2 × 5 in (127 mm) guns 4 × 3 in (76 mm) guns 8 × 20 mm guns 4 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes 2 × Weapon Alpha ASW rocket launcher 1 × depth charge rack

The Mitscher-class destroyer was an experimental destroyer class of four ships that were built for the United States Navy shortly after World War II. Considerably larger than all previous destroyers, but smaller than their immediate predecessor, the experimental Norfolk, they would have been the first post-war destroyer class had they not been reclassified during construction as destroyer leaders (DL). Commissioned in 1953–1954, two of the class served until 1969, and were scrapped in the 1970s. The other two were converted into guided missile destroyers (DDG), served until 1978, and were sold for scrap by 1980.