The eight Porter-class ships answered a destroyer-leader requirement the Navy had pursued since 1921. Foreign work on large destroyers, especially the French designs, helped the Navy make its case after years of failed requests. At about 1,850 tons standard, the Porters carried eight 5-inch/38 guns in four twin mounts, eight torpedo tubes, and machinery capable of roughly 37 knots. Their larger hull and gun battery could compensate for the small and unsatisfactory Omaha-class cruiser force during reconnaissance. The comparison with the British Tribal class has limits because Porter doctrine still gave torpedoes priority over guns. American planners wanted a ship that could guide destroyer formations and help a mass torpedo attack rather than perform the full range of independent cruiser duties. USS Porter was the class's only wartime loss, at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, while the other ships proved durable when used with the fleet.
Chapter · 26:55-35:55
Porter turned the destroyer leader into a scouting weapon
The Porter class gave the US Navy eight large destroyer leaders with cruiser-like reconnaissance value, heavy gun power, and a doctrine still centered on mass torpedo attacks.