Lepanto-class destroyer

The Lepanto class was a class of five destroyers of the Spanish Navy, which originated from the US Navy Fletcher-class destroyers. They entered service in 1957, with the last one being decommissioned in 1988.

Lepanto underway at sea, c. 1970s
Class overview
Name	Lepanto class
Builders	Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation Bath Iron Works Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Operators	Spanish Navy
Preceded by	Audaz class
Succeeded by	Oquendo class
Subclasses	Fletcher class
Built	1941–1943
In commission	1957–1988
Planned	5
Completed	5
Retired	5
General characteristics
Type	Destroyer
Displacement	2,050 long tons (2,083 t) standard 2,500 long tons (2,540 t) full
Length	376.5 ft (114.8 m)
Beam	39.5 ft 10 in (12.29 m)
Draft	17.5 ft 8 in (5.54 m)
Propulsion	4 × GM Mod. 16-278A diesel engines with electric drive, 60,000 shp (45 MW) 2 × screws
Speed	36.5 knots (67.6 km/h; 42.0 mph)
Range	5,500 nmi (10,200 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	329
Sensors and processing systems	1 × AN/SPS-6 air-search radar 1 × AN/SPS-10 surface-search radar 1 × Mark 37 Director
Armament	5 × single 5"/38 cal guns 3 × twin 40 mm bofors 3 × single Oerlikon 20 mm guns 2 × triple Mark 44 torpedo tubes 2 × Mark 10 Hedgehog mortars 2 × depth charge track

History

These are ships used by the United States Navy during World War II and slightly modernized in electronics and weaponry at the beginning of the 1950s. They were once magnificent ships, which throughout the 1960s constituted the backbone of the Spanish Navy. Eventually, they were replaced in escort duties by the Descubierta-class corvettes in the early 1980s. However, they remained in service until well into the 1980s, when they were downright obsolete.

They received five destroyers of the Fletcher class for the Spanish Navy from the United States from 1957 to 1988 as part of the Military Assistance Program.

They were all put out of service between 1985 till 1988.

Characteristics

Main article: Fletcher-class destroyer

Before the takeover, the ships were modernized to a considerable extent. All but three 20 mm Oerlikon cannons were removed and the three 40 mm Bofors guns remained. The electronics were modernized and the mast was replaced by a tripod mast.

All five ships were retrofitted with two triple Mark 44 torpedo tubes on each side of the ship.

Ships in the class

Pennant	Name	Builders	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned
D21	Lepanto	Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation	12 June 1941	31 May 1942	15 May 1957	31 December 1985
D22	Almirante Ferrandíz			4 July 1942		17 November 1987
D23	Almirante Valdés	Bath Iron Works	23 February 1942	30 August 1942	1 July 1959	17 November 1986
D24	Alcalá Galiano	Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation	7 June 1943	14 February 1944	3 November 1960	15 December 1988
D25	Jorge Juan	Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company	30 June 1943	14 November 1943	1 December 1960	15 November 1988

See also

• Churruca-class destroyer (1972) (Gearing-class destroyer): Another group of destroyers transferred to Spain