Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer

The Allen M. Sumner class was a group of 58 destroyers built by the United States during the Second World War, with another twelve hulls completed as destroyer minelayers. It was named for Allen Melancthon Sumner, a Marine Corps officer. Compared with the Fletcher class before it, the Sumners had twin 5-inch/38 gun mounts, dual rudders and a heavier antiaircraft battery. Stretching the design by 14 feet amidships produced the Gearing class. The ships were completed in 1943 to 1945, four were lost in the war, and the survivors served in the US Navy into the 1970s before 29 were sold abroad. One is preserved as a museum ship in South Carolina. Bath Iron Works in Maine built 14 of them.