The Naval Appropriation Act of 1921 supported maintenance, including work connected with the brig Niagara, but provided no new destroyers. When the Farraguts arrived, they offered nearly 6,000 nautical miles of range at 12 knots, about a fifth more than the Clemson class. Their five 5-inch/38 guns could engage aircraft as well as surface targets. Eight 21-inch torpedo tubes, a 37-knot top speed, a transom stern, and better living and machinery spaces also made them much more useful fleet units. Their Yarrow boilers and Parsons geared turbines drew on British designs. International technical exchange was normal, yet the choice also reflected how long American firms had gone without producing destroyer machinery. The class supplied a practical base from which domestic designs could advance again.
Notable Point · 22:19-26:54
Farragut paired greater range with British-derived machinery
The 1921 appropriation still ordered no destroyers, while the eventual Farragut design paired major improvements in range and habitability with Yarrow boilers and Parsons-derived turbines.