The Caldwells were a transitional design between the "thousand-tonners" of the Sampson-class and the mass-produced destroyers built during World War I.

The turbines developed a total of 18,500 shaft horsepower (13,800 kW) and were designed to reach a speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph).

[2] The ships carried a maximum of 205 long tons (208 t) of fuel oil that gave them a range of 2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km; 2,900 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).

Gwin departed Puget Sound on 26 April 1920 for calls at California ports, then transited the Panama Canal bound for Newport, Rhode Island, where she arrived on 2 June 1920.

Her hulk was sold for scrapping to the Union Shipbuilding Company of Baltimore, Maryland, on 16 March 1939.