Q&A ยท 2:03:31-2:05:24

Was the Somers class still designed around torpedoes?

Somers combined a heavy gun battery with a layout that still gave torpedoes priority in American destroyer doctrine.

Question

Was the Somers class still focused on torpedoes despite carrying four twin 5-inch mounts?

Short answer

Yes. Its layout still gave torpedoes priority, despite a gun battery that made it unusually heavily armed for a destroyer.

Notes

Three quadruple torpedo mounts remained central to the Somers layout despite its four twin 5-inch mounts. The arrangement shows how a destroyer could carry a heavy gun battery while still being designed around torpedo attack. The weakening treaty system provided room for larger, more heavily armed destroyers, bringing the type closer to the gun-heavy territory of the British Tribals and Darings. Individual ships did not retain identical armament: Davis is cited with five guns, and other combinations of guns and torpedo tubes are mentioned. Those variations did not overturn the continuing American emphasis on torpedoes.