GPM 0343 USS WARD & Typ-A

USS Ward (DD-139) was an American destroyer from: World War I, the interwar period and World War II. The keel for this unit was laid in May 1918, and the launch took place in June 1918. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 95.8 meters and a width of 9.4 meters. The displacement reached approx. 1,300 tons, and the maximum speed - just after launching - was approx. 35 knots. The armament at the time of the launch consisted of four 102 mm guns, two 76 mm guns and 12 533 mm torpedo tubes.

USS Ward was one of 111 Wickes-class destroyers, which, along with the Clemson and Caldwell-class ships, are often referred to as "four-pipe" or "flush-deck" destroyers. The Wickes-class ships were designed to be as cheap and capable of mass production as possible high-speed destroyers. Belonging to this class The USS Ward was the ship from which the first American shots were fired in World War II. The destroyer operated on December 7, 1941 near the base in Pearl Harbor and managed to sink a Japanese miniature submarine. In 1942, the destroyer was transferred to the west coast of the USA, where it was rebuilt and reclassified as a high-speed fleet carrier, with the side number APD-16. In this role, he took part in the activities in the Pacific in 1943-1944. He was sunk as a result of a kamikaze attack on December 7, 1944.