These twelve ships were the last United States destroyer class completed prior to the American entry into World War II.

At the war's end in August 1945, three of the seven survivors were undergoing overhauls that were left unfinished, and were ultimately scrapped.

The remaining four seaworthy ships were used as targets during the 1946 Operation Crossroads atomic tests at Bikini Atoll.

They incorporated streamlining of the bridge structure and the forward part of the hull, in an attempt to increase speed and improve fuel economy.

[2][5] Features that improved fuel economy included boiler economizers, double reduction gearing, and cruising turbines.

[8][9] With a turret-mounted gun director as in previous systems, the Mark 37 system incorporated the Ford Mark 1 Fire Control Computer mounted in a plotting room deep in the hull, which enabled automatic aiming of guns against surface or air targets with firing solutions in near real-time.

[13] The as-built light AA armament of four .50 caliber machine guns (12.7 mm), the same as previous 1500-ton classes, was inadequate.

Except for Roe, Wainwright, and Buck, the class was transferred to the Pacific shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, where they often screened aircraft carriers.

She was hit once from a six torpedo spread, fired from the Japanese destroyer Ayanami, that blew off her bow as she promptly went down and sank.

[17] In the Atlantic, Wainwright escorted the ill-fated convoy PQ 17, and with Roe supported Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa.

At the war's end in August 1945, three of the seven survivors were undergoing overhauls that were left unfinished, and were ultimately scrapped.