Gearing-class destroyer

The Gearing class was a series of 98 destroyers built for the U.S. Navy during and shortly after World War II. The Gearing design was a minor modification of the Allen M. Sumner class, whereby the hull was lengthened by 14 ft (4.3 m) at amidships, which resulted in more fuel storage space and increased the operating range.

The first Gearings were not ready for service until mid-1945 and saw little service in World War II. They continued serving, with a series of upgrades, until the 1970s. At that time many were sold to other nations, where they served many more years.

31 vessels were authorized on 9 July 1942:^{[citation needed]}

4 vessels were authorized on 13 May 1942:^{[citation needed]}

3 vessels were authorized on 27 March 1943 under the Vinson–Trammell Act:^{[citation needed]}

114 vessels were authorized on 19 July 1943 under the 70% Expansion Act:^{[citation needed]}

(Of the missing numbers in this sequence - 722 to 741, 744 to 762, 770 to 781, and 857 were allocated to orders for Allen M. Sumner-class destroyers; 792 to 804 were awarded to orders for Fletcher-class destroyers.)^{[citation needed]}

In March 1945, the orders for 36 of the above vessels were cancelled, and 11 more orders were cancelled in August 1945. Following the close of World War II, 7 further vessels were cancelled in 1946:^{[citation needed]}