Kidd Class Destroyer

Kidd Class Destroyer

The Kidd class guided missile destroyers (DDGs) were a series of four warships based on the hull of the Spruance class destroyers. These ships were originally ordered by the last Shah (king) of Iran for service in the Persian Gulf, in an air defence role. The Shah was overthrown in the Iranian revolution, prior to Iran accepting delivery of the ships, causing the United States Navy to integrate the vessels into its own fleet. Each ship in the class was named after a U.S. Navy Admiral who had died in combat in the Pacific in World War II:

  • USS Kidd (DDG-993) was named after Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, who died on the bridge of his flagship, the USS Arizona (BB-39), during the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941.
  • USS Callaghan (DDG-994) was named after Rear Admiral Daniel Callaghan, who was killed during a surface action at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 13 November 1942, aboard the USS San Francisco (CA-38).
  • USS Scott (DDG-995) was named after Rear Admiral Norman Scott, who was killed during the same surface action that killed Admiral Callaghan at the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, aboard the USS Atlanta (CL-51).
  • USS Chandler (DDG-996) was named after Rear Admiral Theodore Chandler, who died on 7 January 1945, as a result of burns received from a kamikaze crashing into his flagship, the USS Louisville (CA-28), the previous day.

Read more about Kidd Class Destroyer:  History, Sale and Reactivation, Ships in Class

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