A walk through The Sullivans illustrates why the Fletcher worked as a medium, general-purpose destroyer. It could fight with guns and torpedoes, defend against aircraft, conduct anti-submarine work, and make 36.5 knots without being defined by one role. That breadth made an individual ship a roughly 75-80 percent answer to many different missions. Because the United States had built the class in such numbers, commanders could send two or more and turn flexibility into overwhelming local capability.
Notable Point · 47:27-50:18
The Fletcher succeeds as a general-purpose destroyer
A Fletcher was not optimized for one mission, but its guns, torpedoes, anti-aircraft weapons, anti-submarine systems, speed, and mass availability made it useful almost anywhere.