Ten Benham-class destroyers were commissioned into UnitedStatesNavy during years 1938 and 1939.
Much of their design is based upon the previously built versions of Gridley-class and Bagley-class destroyers.
Two of the ships were lost during World War II, three of them would be scrapped in 1947, while the remaining five ships would be sunk after being contaminated from the atomic bomb tests in the Pacific.
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers.
Destroyers (with a DD hull classification symbol) primarily perform anti-submarine warfare duty while guided missile destroyers (DDGs) are multi-mission (anti-submarine, anti-air, and anti-surface warfare) surface combatants.
Two classes of destroyers are currently in use by the US Navy: the Spruance-class and the Arleigh Burke-class.