Ships of class: USS Smith (TBD-17)(DD-17), USS Lamson (TBD-18)(DD-18), USS Preston (TBD-19)(DD-19), USS Flusser (TBD-20)(DD-20) and USS Reid (TBD-21)(DD-21).

List of blueprints

World War I
American Destroyers,
TBD-17 through TBD-21
A Collection of Blueprints 

Excerpts from the book

Act of 29 June 1906: "...For three torpedo boat destroyers, to have the highest practical speed, and to cost, exclusive of armament, not to exceed seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars each..."

TBD-17, 18 and 19

Act of 13 May 1808: "...For two torpedo boat destroyers, to have the highest practicable speed, and to cost, exclusive of armament, not to exceed eight hundred thousand dollars each..."

TBD-20 and 21

Five years were to pass since the initial authorization of the fleet's first sixteen TBD's. In 1904 President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the Navy to convene a board under Admiral G.A. Converse, to investigate the qualities desirable and useful in torpedo boat construction. The board reported its findings to the Secretary of the Navy on January 7, 1905. The board recommended that new torpedo boat destroyers be as such:

"On her trial trip she should start under conditions of full service load for a sea trip of maximum endurance and should run for a long run (suggested as not less than 48 hours) at such speed as would enable her to keep company with the battleship fleet in service...she should show her ability at the given speed to make, on her bunker capacity alone, such a prolonged trans- Atlantic or other sea voyage as she might be called upon to do in actual war service (2,000 miles at 15 knots is suggested)...

A second sea trial should then be made with the vessel full loaded for service and with sufficient coal in her bunkers to enable her to steam the required distance as determined in the preceding trial, and she should then steam for a long sea trial at what may be called her maximum high power long distance speed (24 hours at not less than 20 knots for any hour is suggested)...

A third sea trial should then be run at maximum speed under the full load conditions prescribed in the preceding paragraph (2 hours at not less than 23 knots is suggested)...

The vessel should have as small a tactical diameter as possible while maintaining good seagoing qualities; should steer easily when going astern; should have artificial ventilation of engine rooms to enable her to run with all hatches shut; her hull should be strong enough to steam as fast as a battleship in anything short of a real gale; she should be strong enough to be safe in any weather when not forced in a gale; should comfortably house her personnel; should be high enough forward to keep her from being swept too heavily in a head sea; and should be high enough all around to allow ventilation in a seaway...

Her boilers should be four in number, in pairs, forward and abaft the engine rooms. Her engines should be in separate compartments. The forward boilers and forward engines should be capable of separation from the rest of the plant in every particular when running four boilers, thus giving two independent steam plants, the integrity of neither one of which is dependent upon the other...

Her armament should consist of 3-inch rapid firing guns and 21-inch torpedoes and tubes, as many as possible of each to be carried (suggested as not less than four 3-inch guns and four torpedoes in two twin central pivot tubes)...Her battery should be so arranged as to give a maximum ahead and astern fire...

Her displacement should be the minimum possible...but certainly not over 800 tons when in full load condition..."

The design was a larger Bainbridge class. The armament was enlarged to five 3" guns. The torpedo tubes were retained in number and placement as the earlier Bainbridge's.

The spoon shaped stern was redesigned to a "V" shape. The "V" shape resulted in poor efficiency of the rudder which necessaried a longer turning radius than the earlier TBD's.

The design finally called for three screws. The engines were newly designed Parson turbines. The high pressure turbine was placed on the center screw. The two outer screws were driven by low pressure turbines, for efficiency at cruising speeds.

C & R approved all five destroyer designs (TBD-17 thru 21), at its regular meeting on March 8, 1907.

Smith class, Torpedo Boat Destroyer

(700 - tonners or flivvers)

Smith (TBD - 17)

Length Overall: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293'10"
Extreme Beam: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26'11"
Normal Displacement:. . . . . . . . 700 tons
Mean Draft: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8'
Designed Complement:. . . . . . . Officers, 4; Enlisted, 82

Armament:
Primary:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Five, 3-inch/50 caliber
Secondary:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Two .30 caliber
Torpedo Tubes:. . . . . . . . . . . . Three, 18"

Designed Shaft Horsepower:. . . 10,000
Drive:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Direct
Designed Speed: . . . . . . . . . . . 28 knots
Engines, Manufacturer:. . . . . . . William Cramp & Sons, S & EB Co., Phil., Penn.
Boilers, Manufacturer:. . . . . . . . Four, Mosher
Screws, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Three
Fuel (coal), Tons:. . . . . . . . . . . .271

Joseph B. Smith was born in Belfast, Maine, in 1826 and was appointed Midshipman in the United States Navy on October 19, 1841. He cruised on various stations from 1841 to 1860, when he was ordered to frigate Congress. He was in command of Congress on March 8, 1861 when she was attacked and destroyed by the Confederate ironclad, Virginia and lost his life in that action. When his father, Commodore Joseph Smith heard of the surrender of Congress, he said, "then Joe is dead."

USS Smith was built by William Cramp & Sons, Ship & Engine Building, Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Authorized June 29, 1906; keel laid March 18, 1908 and Commissioned November 26, 1909. This class had the two center funnels closely paired.

She was attached to the Atlantic Torpedo Fleet and served a brief period on recruiting duty in New Orleans, Louisiana.

With World War I imminent, Smith was ordered on 1 April, 1917 to assist the Collector of Customs in New York City in preventing German ships from escaping. She was then ordered to Brest, France on scout and escort duties. On May 31, 1918 she rescued 240 men from the torpedoed transport President Lincoln; and, while carrying them into port, unsuccessfully attacked a submarine on June 1. On July 1, 1918, she rescued survivors from Covington while other destroyers circled the two ships at high speed to deter further attack.

After the war she was used as a target vessel. Smith was sold on December 21, 1921.

Lamson (TBD - 18)

Length Overall: . . . . . . . . . . . . .293'10"
Extreme Beam: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26'11"
Normal Displacement:. . . . . . . . 700 tons
Mean Draft: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8'
Designed Complement:. . . . . . . Officers, 4; Enlisted, 82

Armament: Primary:. . . . . . . . . . Five, 3-inch/50 caliber
Secondary:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Two .30 caliber
Torpedo Tubes:. . . . . . . . . . . . . Three, 18"

Designed Shaft Horsepower:. . . .10,000
Drive:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Direct
Designed Speed: . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 knots
Engines, Manufacturer:. . . . . . . . William Cramp & Sons, S & EB Co., Phil., Penn.
Boilers, Manufacturer:. . . . . . . . .Four, Mosher
Screws, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Three
Fuel (coal), Tons:. . . . . . . . . . . . 271

Roswell Hawkes Lamson was born in Iowa and appointed to the Naval Academy on September 20, 1858. After graduating in 1862, he saw action in the Civil War. Lamson commanded Mount Vernon in joint Army-Navy operations on the Wansemont River and he played an important role in the capture of batteries at Hills Point. While in command of Gettysburg, he was in the forefront of the attack on Fort Fisher and he gallantly piloted the powder boat Louisiana in under the fort. He resigned from the navy in 1866. In 1895 Lamson was appointed Lieutenant and placed on the retired list. Lieutenant Lamson died in Portland, Oregon on August 14, 1903.

USS Lamson was built by William Cramp & Sons, Ship & Engine Building Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Authorized June 29, 1906; keel laid March 18, 1908 and commissioned November 26, 1909.

She was assigned to the Atlantic Squadron from 1910 until 1916. She was sent to the Dominican Republic on May 7, 1916 to support U.S. Marine operations during the Dominican revolt.

During World War I, she served on scout and escort duties from Ponta Delgada, Azores and Brest, France. On October 28, 1917 she rescued survivors from the torpedoed Finland.

At the termination of the war, she returned to Charleston, South Carolina. Lamson was sold on November 21, 1919.

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