Nicks

The USS Nicholas Navy destroyers evolved over time. It is interesting to see how the 3 ships compare when looking at the specifications side by side. Over time the ships grew is size, but not in speed or crew. Technology improved in all areas of propulsion, armament and facilities.  Interestingly, range did not grow as one might expect. Crew comfort certainly improved with the FFG configuration with all areas being air conditioned.

	USS Nicholas Specifications

	DD-311	DD-449	FFG-47
Builder	Bethlehem, San Fran	Bath Iron Works	Bath Iron Works
Laid Down	January 11, 1919	March 3, 1941	September 27, 1082
Launched	May 1, 1919	February 19, 1942	April 23, 1983
Commissioned	November 23, 1920	June 4, 1942	March 10, 1984
Decommissioned	October 26, 1923	January 30 1970	March 17, 2014
Displacement	1215 tons	2050 tons	4100 tons
Length	314 feet 5 inches	376 feet 6 inches	453 feet
Beam	31 feet 8 inches	39 feet 8 inches	45 feet
Draft	9 feet 3 inches	17 feet 9 inches	22 feet
Propulsion	26500 SHP	60000 SHP	41000 SHP
Speed	35 knots	36+ knots	29+ knots
Range	4900 nmi @ 15 knots	6500 nmi @ 15 knots	5000 nmi @ 18 knots
Complement	122 officers & enlisted	336 officers & enlisted	15 officers 190 enlisted
Armament	4 x 4 in guns	5 x 5 in guns	1 x 76mm
	1 x 3in gun	10 x 40 mm guns	2 torpedo
	12 x 21 inch tt	10 x 21 in torpedo	1 x Vulcan Phalanx
		2 x depth charge tracks	4 x .50 cal
		after 1960 FRAM II	1 x missile launcher
		2 x 5 in guns	2 x SH-60 helicopters
		1 x 12.75 Weapon Alpha ASW Rocket Launcher
		2 x 24 x 7 in Hedgehog
		2 x 3  x  12.75 in torpedo
		2 x 21 in torpedo
		2 x Drones (DASH)