Gearing Class Destroyer Profile Drawings by George Bieda

During World War II the US Navy found that it required a greater number of destroyers for both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. This resulted in the acquisition of 98 Gearing Class ships, a minor improvement over the Allen M. Sumner Class destroyers which had been built from 1943 – 1945. The Gearing Class were 14ft. longer in the midship section, which enabled them to carry more fuel and increased their range. This was especially important for their use in the Pacific theatre.

The armament of the Gearing Class was initially designed for use in the anti-ship and anti-aircraft roles. After World War II, there were extensive modifications to the class. This included improvements in anti-aircraft and anti-sub capabilities early on, followed by Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization upgrades. Some members of the class were converted to radar picket destroyers (DDR) and escort destroyers (DDE). The FRAM upgrades in the late 1950s and early 1960s were quite expensive. These upgrades included rebuilding the ships’ superstructures and electronic and weapons systems.

Many of the Gearing Class ships remained in service in some capacity through the 1970s. USS Harold J. Ellison DD 864 was the last ship to be decommissioned on 1 Oct 1983. There are 5 ships serving as museum ships, two of which can be seen in the US.

We offer profile drawing of all the Gearing Class destroyers on our website (usmilitaryart.com). You can reach the page by clicking on the following link – https://usmilitaryart.com/Destroyers-22/Gearing+Class+Destroyer+Profile+Drawings+by+George+Bieda-676