The first guided missile destroyer in the Pacific, USS Henry B. Wilson (DDG-7), has now reported to the Cruiser-Destroyer Force, Pacific Fleet. This versatile ship carries a wide range of destructive power in a hull smaller than that of a cruiser. She can fight submarines at long range with her SQS-23 Sonar and ASRoc, and at short range with two Mark 32 triple torpedo launchers. Supersonic Tartar missiles give her an effective weapon against high-speed aircraft at ranges greater than 15 miles, while rapid fire 5-inch 54 caliber guns offer close-range antiaircraft protection. These same guns can also be used to support amphibious operations or fire against any surface target.
Built by the Defoe Shipbuilding Company at Bay City, Michigan, Henry B. Wilson is the first of four of her class which were authorized for construction at the Great Lakes yard at the time the St. Lawrence Seaway project was approved. The remaining Defoe-built ships, Lynde McCormick, Robinson, and Hoel were laid down in 1958 and 1959 and are scheduled for completion in 1961. Henry B. Wilson was laid down on 28 February 1958, launched on 22 April 1959, and completed in 1960, just in time to get out of the Great Lakes and down the St. Lawrence before ice closed the Seaway for the winter. Although somewhat scratched and bruised in transiting the 15 locks between Lake Erie and Montreal, she was commissioned on schedule at Boston in December.
During the following months, Henry B. Wilson completed her fitting out in the coldest winter weather New England had experienced for decades, but her crew of 28 officers and some 300 men had plenty of time to thaw out on a fine 7,000 mile warm-water cruise to San Diego which included Guantanamo, Panama, Lima, and Acapulco in the itinerary.
Wilson is a sleek, well-proportioned ship, with excellent stability and outstanding maneuverability at all speeds. All living and operations spaces are air conditioned, and accommodations, for a destroyer hull, are spacious. The hull form is a refinement of the Forrest Sherman hull design, and makes similar use of aluminum in the superstructure to reduce topside weight. The ship is 437 feet long, with a 47-foot beam, and draft of about 15 feet, which sonar and propellers extend to a maximum of 22 feet. Her full-load displacement is 4,500 tons. Two General Electric steam turbines generate 70,000 horsepower, which drives the ship at 35 knots. The four boilers have automatic combustion control. A fuel capacity of about 250,000 gallons gives the ship a respectable cruising range. Two evaporators have a daily capacity of 24,000 gallons.
An outstanding feature of Henry B. Wilson is a modular, one-level CIC, just aft of the pilot house, of better design than almost any cruiser installation. It is equipped and arranged to sort out for effective use information from long-range air-search radar (SPS-29), intermediate-range three-dimensional air-search radar (SPS-39), surface- search radar (SPS-10), IFF, ECM, sonar, and lookouts. Equally important, the CIC is fitted out to control or monitor numerous communications channels, and includes a provision not found in previous destroyer types for a Unit Commander. This gives the ship the ability to co-ordinate operations with other ships and aircraft in a wide range of situations.
Old timers who remember World War II destroyers will find that the new DDG’s are a different kind of ship in other respects as well. There are no depth charge racks on the fan- tail, and on a first walk around the ship, one might miss the torpedo tubes entirely, until he learns that they are on the 01 deck forward, just under the wings of the bridge.
A special commendation is due the persons who influenced the design and characteristics of this class of ship, for they have provided the Navy with a basic quality which should be inherent in all our fighting forces— good balance. The ship’s weapons make her effective in a wide range of situations and her operational characteristics permit almost unlimited employment. Supporting this balanced complex of operations and weapons capabilities are supply and medical facilities which make the ship able to go wherever, whenever, and for as long as necessary to carry out assigned tasks.
In summation, Henry B. Wilson is a genuine destroyer, of balanced design and capabilities. She incorporates great detection and kill capabilities in ASW, antiair, and surface areas. Her command, communication, and control capabilities enable her to co-ordinate with and for multiple forces under all conditions. This ship marks a definite forward step in destroyer development and is proving a valuable addition to the Cruiser-Destroyer Force, Pacific Fleet.
*Commander Carey is Wilson's commanding officer.