Due to the rapid technological advancements taking place throughout the Cold War, the U.S. Navy did not completely suspend destroyer production as it had after World War I. However, post-war destroyer production mostly involved relatively limited production of experimental and semi-experimental ship designs.
Destroyers -- DD
Forrest Sherman Class (~1952)
The Sherman-class destroyers are the U.S. Navy's first post-WW2 destroyer class. Eighteen ships of this class are built, assigned hull numbers DD-931 to DD-951 (except that DD-934, DD-935, and DD-939 are assigned to war prizes).
- USS Forrest Sherman (DD-931)
Spruance Class (1971)
Destroyer-Leaders -- DL
From 1950 until 1975, the U.S. Navy classified large destroyers as "destroyer-leaders".
Norfolk (1947)
The one-off Norfolk is designed as an experimental all-weather anti-submarine warship on a light cruiser hull. The first major U.S. Navy warship since the end of the war, this ship is lavishly equipped with state-of-the-art detection gear and proves herself a highly effective submarine hunter, but a planned successor is cancelled due to her high cost ($62 million USD) and limited role.
- USS Norfolk (CLK-1 ⁄ DL-1)
Mitscher Class
- USS Mitscher (DD-927 ⁄ DL-2 ⁄ DDG-35)
- USS John S. McCain (DD-928 ⁄ DL-3 ⁄ DDG-36)
- USS Willis A. Lee (DD-929 ⁄ DL-4)
- USS Wilkinson (DD-930 ⁄ DL-5)
Guided-Missile Destroyer-Leaders -- DLG
Farragut Class (1956)
Ten ships of this class were built, assigned hull numbers DLG-6 through DLG-15 and later redesignated as DDG-37 through DDG-46.
- USS Farragut (DLG-6 ⁄ DDG-37)
- USS Luce (DLG-7 ⁄ DDG-38)
- USS Macdonough (DLG-8 ⁄ DDG-37)
- USS Coontz (DLG-9 ⁄ DDG-38)
- USS King (DLG-10 ⁄ DDG-37)
- USS Mahan (DLG-11 ⁄ DDG-38)
- USS Dahlgren (DLG-12 ⁄ DDG-37)
- USS William V. Pratt (DLG-13 ⁄ DDG-38)
- USS Dewey (DLG-14 ⁄ DDG-45)
- USS Preble (DLG-15 ⁄ DDG-46)
Leahy Class (1955)
Nine ships of this class are built, assigned hull numbers DLG-16 through DLG-24 and later redesignated as DDG-47 through DDG-55.
- USS Leahy (DLG-16 ⁄ DDG-47)
- (DLG-17 ⁄ DDG-48)
- (DLG-18 ⁄ DDG-49)
- (DLG-19 ⁄ DDG-50)
- (DLG-20 ⁄ DDG-51)
- (DLG-21 ⁄ DDG-52)
- (DLG-22 ⁄ DDG-53)
- (DLG-23 ⁄ DDG-54)
- USS Reeves (DLG-24 ⁄ DDG-55)
Belknap Class (1961)
Nine ships of this class are built, assigned hull numbers DLG-25 through DLG-
- USS Belknap (DLG-25 ⁄ DDG-56)
- (DLG-26 ⁄ DDG-57)
- (DLG-27 ⁄ DDG-58)
- (DLG-28 ⁄ DDG-57)
Guided Missile Destroyers -- DDG
In 1955, the Navy designated the guided-missile conversion USS Gyatt as the first ship in a new guided-missile destroyer hull sequence, followed by the production Adams class. From 1965 onward, the larger guided-missile destroyer-leaders (DLG)s were consolidated into this sequence with hull numbers DDG-37 through
Gyatt (1955)
The one-off Gyatt is a Gearing class destroyer converted into a test ship for guided missiles. She has a single Mark 8 twin-arm launcher for Terrier missiles (14 missiles) installed as a single-end stern conversion.
- USS Gyatt (DD-712 ⁄ DDG-1)
Charles F. Adams Class (1957)
The Charles F. Adams class destroyers are the world's first purpose built-guided missile destroyers, equipped with an aft Mark 11 twin arm or Mark 13 single-arm launcher for Tartar surface-to-air missiles (42 or 40 missiles respectively), an amidships Mark 112 "Matchbox" box launcher for eight RUR-5 ASROC anti-submarine missiles, and fore and aft five-inch deck guns. They are later refitted with Standard missiles (and possibly also Harpoon), and remain in service all the way to the introduction of the Burke class DDGNs.
Twenty-three ships of this class were built for the U.S. Navy, plus three for the Royal Australian and three for the Bundesmarine. They are assigned hull numbers DDG-2 through DDG-30.
- USS Charles F. Adams (DD-952 ⁄ DDG-2)
- (DDG-3)
- (DDG-4)
- (DDG-5)
- (DDG-6)
- (DDG-7)
- (DDG-8)
- (DDG-9)
- (DDG-10)
- (DDG-11)
- (DDG-12)
- (DDG-13)
- (DDG-14)
- (DDG-15)
- (DDG-16)
- (DDG-17)
- (DDG-18)
- (DDG-19)
- (DDG-20)
- (DDG-21)
- (DDG-22)
- (DDG-23)
- (DDG-24)
- HMAS Perth (DDG-25)
- HMAS Hobart (DDG-26)
- HMAS Brisbane (DDG-27)
- D185 Lutjens (DDG-28)
- D186 Molders (DDG-29)
- D187 Rommel (DDG-30)
Forrest Sherman (Refit) Class (1965)
Four Sherman class destroyers are refitted as additional guided-missile destroyers. Since the Adams class are an extended-hull derivative of the Sherman class in the first place, this is a relatively simple conversion and the refit Shermans> are fully equivalent to Addamses except for lacking the amidships ASROC launcher.
- USS Decatur (DD-936 ⁄ DDG-31)
- USS John Paul Jones (DD-932 ⁄ DDG-32)
- USS Parsons (DD-949 ⁄ DDG-33)
- USS Somers (DD-947 ⁄ DDG-34)
Mitscher (Refit) Class (1966)
Two Mitscher class destroyer-leaders are refitted as guided-missile destroyers with a single-arm Tartar launcher aft and an ASROC box launcher forward.
- USS Mitscher (DD-936 ⁄ DL-2 ⁄ DDG-31)
- USS John S. McCain (DD-932 ⁄ DL-3 ⁄ DDG-32)
Kidd Class (1977)
The Kidd class destroyers are multi-role export upgrades of the U.S. Navy's own Spruance class, competing on the export market with Germany's MEKO series of frigates and destroyers.
Nuclear-Powered Guided Missile Destroyers -- DDGN
Arleigh Burke Class
The Arleigh Burke class destroyers are the U.S. Navy's definitive surface combat warship of the late 20th and early 21st century. Although classified as destroyers rather than cruisers, the Burke class are full-fledged multirole surface combatants which serve as "universal" next-generation successors to both nuclear-powered guided missile cruisers and conventionally powered guided missile destroyers.