The Fletcher-class destroyer is an American destroyer.
Description[]
With the entry of the United States in World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the US Navy suddenly had an enormous demand for warships. The destroyer fleet at the time, though being large in numbers, mostly consisted of old "flush deckers" built during and shortly after World War I, and were no match to the new and well-armed Japanese destroyers. To meet this huge demand, in early 1942 the US Navy started one of the largest shipbuilding programs of all time. The Fletcher-class destroyers were a product of such program, which were relatively large ships with 3,000 tonnes of water displacement when fully equipped and loaded. The engines delivered about 60,000 hp - enough for a top speed of 38 knots. The ships were extremely popular with their crews, and were sometimes nicknamed, both scornfully and affectionately, as "Tin Can". The last Fletcher destroyer was launched by mid-1944, with a total of 175 ships of this type leaving the shipyards. As the most numerous destroyer class, the Fletcher-class dwarfed the total number of destroyers that Japan commissioned throughout the war, and was the workhorse of the United States Navy.
Fletcher destroyers fought on all seas and in multiple roles: they escorted merchant ships, screened capital ships against enemy submarines and aircraft, and helped put troops ashore and covered their landings with their naval artillery. Because of its modern radar equipment, the Fletcher-class destroyers could also fight effectively at night. They were involved in probably almost every naval operation in the Pacific theater. 25 of these vessels were lost or damaged beyond repair throughout the war.
In BattleGroup42 the ship is equipped with five 5"/38 caliber guns and two torpedo launchers. It also has two dual Oerlikon 20mm cannons for anti-air defense. Two LCVP landing crafts are typically spawned near the rear of the ship for amphibious assault, but this can change depending of the map.
The destroyer has a "hidden" 7th position in Conquest mode, which is the middle gun turret found just in front of the stern turrets. One can man this particular position by entering near it.
The Fletcher-class can be found in many maps, such as Battle of Midway. One particular ship named "USS Radford" can be found in 4209-Bloody Ridge.
Trivia[]
- The previous model of Fletcher-class was modified from the original Battlefield 1942's counterpart, mainly by adding the fifth turret, torpedo launchers and AA guns. It was replaced by a new model since FINAL Release Candidate 3.
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