USS Harding (DD-91) was a in the United States Navy during World War I. She was the first ship named in honor of Seth Harding. Launched in 1918, she undertook training exercises off the East Coast of the United States sporadically for several years. In 1919, she escorted a major transatlantic flight of Curtiss NC seaplane. Later that year, she was selected to be converted into a seaplane tender, and was then used to support naval aviator training off Naval Air Station Pensacola. She took one trip to Veracruz with emergency medical supplies, and was also on hand during aircraft bombing tests against decommissioned German ships, including the sinking of . She was decommissioned in 1922 and sold for scrapping in 1936. Design and construction Harding was one of 111 s built by the United States Navy between 1917 and 1919. She, along with seven of her sisters, were constructed at Union Iron Works shipyards in San Francisco, California using specifications and detail designs drawn up by Bethlehem Steel. She had a standard displacement of an overall length of , a beam of and a draft of . On trials, Harding reached a speed of . She was armed with four 4"/50 caliber guns, three .30 caliber machine guns, and twelve torpedo tubes Mark 15 torpedoes. She had a regular crew complement of 122 officers and enlisted men. She was driven by two Curtis steam turbines powered by four Yarrow boilers. Specifics on Hardings performance are not known, but she was one of the group of Wickes-class destroyers known unofficially as the 'Liberty Type' to differentiate them from the destroyers constructed from detail designs drawn up by Bath Iron Works, which used Parsons or Westinghouse turbines. The 'Liberty' type destroyers deteriorated badly in service, and in 1929 all 60 of this group were retired by the Navy. Actual performance of these ships was far below intended specifications especially in fuel economy, with most only able to make at instead of the design standard of at . The class also suffered problems with turning and weight. Harding was the first ship to be named for Seth Harding. The second was a , commissioned in 1943. Service history Harding was launched on 4 July 1918 from Union Iron Works. She was sponsored by the wife of George A. Armes, and embarked under the command of Commander Henry D. Cooke. On 3 February