Wickes-class destroyer

The Wickes-class destroyers were a class of 111 destroyers built by the United States Navy in 1917–1919. Together with the six preceding ships of the Caldwell class and the succeeding 156 subsequent Clemson-class destroyers, they were grouped as the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" type. Only a few were completed in time to serve in World War I, including USS Wickes, the lead ship of the class. While some were scrapped in the 1930s, the rest served throughout World War II. Most of these were converted to other uses; nearly all in US service had half their boilers and one or more stacks removed to increase fuel and range or accommodate troops. Others were transferred to the British Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy, some of which were later transferred to the Soviet Navy. All were scrapped within a few years after World War II.