Built from 1916 to 1918, the six ships of the Caldwell class were the first of 279 ordered (6 of which were cancelled) to a flush-decked design to remove the forecastle break weakness of the preceding and other "thousand tonners".
was converted to a prototype high-speed destroyer transport (APD) in 1939, with her forward stacks and boilers removed to give her the capacity to lift 200 Marines and four Higgins assault boats (LCP(L), LCP(R), or LCVP).