USS Kidder (DD-319) was a in service with the United States Navy from 1921 to 1930. She was scrapped in 1931. Namesake Hugh P. Kidder was born in 1897 in Waukon, Iowa. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served in France during World War I. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre with palm and star during World War I for courage and endurance while carrying orders to advanced positions under violent machine gun fire during a period of 9 days. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism near Blanch Mont on 2 October 1918 when he led a small patrol into enemy trenches and captured two strong machine gun positions. First Lieutenant Kidder was killed in action on 3 October attempting to better his position in the face of heavy machine gun and artillery fire. Description The Clemson class was a repeat of the preceding although more fuel capacity was added. The ships displaced at standard load and at deep load. They had an overall length of , a beam of and a draught of . They had a crew of 6 officers and 108 enlisted men. Performance differed radically between the ships of the class, often due to poor workmanship. The Clemson class was powered by two steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by four water-tube boilers. The turbines were designed to produce a total of intended to reach a speed of . The ships carried a maximum of of fuel oil which was intended gave them a range of at . The ships were armed with four 4-inch (102 mm) guns in single mounts and were fitted with two 1-pounder guns for anti-aircraft defense. In many ships a shortage of 1-pounders caused them to be replaced by 3-inch (76 mm) guns. Their primary weapon, though, was their torpedo battery of a dozen 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes in four triple mounts. They also carried a pair of depth charge rails. A "Y-gun" depth charge thrower was added to many ships. Construction and career Kidder, named for Hugh Kidder, was launched 10 July 1919 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, San Francisco, California; sponsored by Miss Ethel Murry Jonstone; and commissioned 7 February 1921. After shakedown along the coast, Kidder was assigned to Destroyer Division 34, Battle Fleet, at San Diego, California. From 1921 to 1924 she operated along