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Adestroyer tender ordestroyer depot ship is a type ofdepot ship: anauxiliary ship designed to provide maintenance support to a flotilla ofdestroyers or other smallwarships. The use of this class has faded from its peak in the first half of the 20th century as the roles and weaponry of small combatants have evolved (in conjunction with technological advances inpropulsion reliability and efficiency).
As theIndustrial Revolution progressed, steam-powered steel ships replaced sail-powered wooden ships; butnaval artillery remained the preferred weapon. The first large warship to be sunk by atorpedo was theChileanironcladBlanco Encalada in 1891. As major naval powers realized the vulnerability of their expensivebattleships to inexpensivetorpedo boats, they started building defensive flotillas of torpedo boat destroyers ordestroyers for short.[1]
The earliest torpedo boat destroyers were small, to maximize maneuverability, and powered by large steam engines, to maximize speed to intercept enemy torpedo boats before they could get close to the battleships.[1] These torpedo boat destroyers were so full of machinery, coal,quick-firing guns and ammunition that there was not enough room for living quarters for their crew. Destroyer tenders with berthing and dining accommodations for the destroyer crews joined the fleet train ofcolliers accompanying the battle fleet. The destroyer tenders also carried cooks, administrative and medical personnel, and senior ratings qualified to repair the destroyer machinery. Although individual destroyers were too small for these specialized personnel, the skills of those aboard the tender were available to the whole destroyer flotilla. The tender also carried a supply of spare parts for destroyer machinery.[2]
When theGreat White Fleet circled the globe in 1907, it was accompanied by a tender,USS Yankton, and arepair ship,USS Panther.[2] Repair ships did not offer the personnel services of a tender, but offered a broader range of repair capability, including equipment and personnel for repair of more significant machinery failures or battle damage.[3] Repair ships carried a fully equipped machine shop andfoundry capable of completing any repair not requiring adrydock.[4]
Destroyer displacement had increased to 1,000 tons byWorld War I and to 2,000 tons for destroyers accompanying theFast Carrier Task Forces ofWorld War II.[5] United States destroyer tenders of World War II carried some destroyer ammunition anddepth charges, and performed torpedo maintenance and resupply, but focused on repair work. TheDixie class had a foundry,forge,metal lathes, andwelders for heavy repairs, plus anoptical shop andclockmakers to repairbinoculars,sextants,marine chronometers,optical rangefinders, andfire-control systemcomputers. These tenders operatedstills andelectric generators to supply fresh water and electrical power to destroyers moored alongside forboiler repair.[6]
Each increment of size enabled destroyers to carry more of the personnel and equipment previously found on the tender. Destroyers reached the size ofcruisers during theCold War, and with that size acquired a cruiser's capability for independent action. Surviving tenders became functionally indistinguishable from repair ships.[7]
Some destroyer tenders were designed and built to attend a flotilla of destroyers, while others were converted from ships built for other purposes. Tabled below is a comparison of ships designed as destroyer tenders:
| Name | Date | Number | Nation | Displacement | Speed | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USS Melville[8] | 1915 | 1 | US | 5,250 tons | 15 knots | 600 |
| HMSGreenwich[9] | 1915 | 1 | UK | 8,100 tons | 11 knots | 224 |
| Altair class | 1918 | 3 | US | 6.250 tons | 10.5 knots | 481 |
| Dobbin class[8] | 1921 | 2 | US | 8,325 tons | 16 knots | 600 |
| Dixie class[8] | 1939 | 5 | US | 9,450 tons | 19 knots | 1,262 |
| Hamul class | 1940 | 2 | US | 8,560 tons | 17 knots | 857 |
| Hecla class[10] | 1940 | 2 | UK | 10,850 tons | 17 knots | 818 |
| Klondike class[8] | 1944 | 4 | US | 8,560 tons | 18 knots | 860 |
| Shenandoah class | 1944 | 6 | US | 11,755 tons | 18 knots | 1,035 |
| Samuel Gompers class[11] | 1966 | 2 | US | 21,000 tons | 18 knots | 1,803 |
| Yellowstone class[7] | 1979 | 4 | US | 20,224 tons | 18 knots | 1,595 |