An elevated view of a U.S.-built destroyer, hull number 225, steaming through calm seas. Ships of this design -- fast, heavily armed with twin 5-inch gun mounts and equipped with early air-search radar -- formed the backbone of American destroyer squadrons during the final years of World War II. Many vessels of this class continued in active service for decades after the war, some transferred to allied navies around the world, extending their service life well beyond 1945. Project: 218584