(aka torpedo) capability to take over the torpedo boats' role, while retaining the range and seakeeping qualities to operate with the battle fleet. This was the beginning of the multiple missions that US destroyers would eventually be expected to perform, including anti-submarine warfare beginning in World War I and anti-air warfare beginning in the 1930s. Armament Compared with the Truxtuns, the gun armament was increased to five /50 caliber guns; smaller guns were deleted to maximize the number of larger guns. This followed a trend set by the rearmament of the British s in 1906, which reflected the "all big gun" design of the battleship . A third torpedo tube was added, and one torpedo reload per tube was provided. In 1911 it was noted that torpedoes fired from the stern mount at a ship's speed much above 20 knots ran erratically due to the stern wave deflecting them. In 1916, all had their single torpedo tubes replaced by twin mounts (with no reloads) while one 3-inch gun was removed. This was an easy upgrade, as the new design twin mounts actually weighed less than the older single mounts. They were equipped with one or two depth charge racks for convoy escort during World War I. Engineering Unlike the earlier 16 destroyers, these turbine-driven vessels were triple-screw. The ships' steam turbines were direct drive and arranged in a similar manner to Sir Charles Parsons' Turbinia, with a high-pressure turbine on the center shaft exhausting to two low-pressure turbines on the outboard shafts. Cruising turbines were also fitted on the outboard shafts to improve fuel economy at low speeds, a problem that would plague turbine-powered ships until fully geared turbines and higher steam pressures and temperatures were introduced during World War I. To attempt to find a middle ground between the turbines' high efficient speed and the propellers' low efficient speed, the maximum shaft speed was 724 rpm, over twice that of a modern ship. All had two widely spaced pairs of funnels except for Smith, which had the first and fourth funnels separated from the middle pair. Smith had four Mosher coal-fired boilers supplying steam to three steam turbines totaling (design). She made on trials at . Normal coal capacity was 304 tons. Ships in class See also References Bibliography External links Tin Can Sailors @ Destroyers.org – Smith class destroyer DestroyerHistory.org Smith class destroyer DestroyerHistory.org Flivver type destroyers NavSource