US DESTROYER USS LEUTZE

USS Leutze (DD-481) was an American WWII destroyer. The keel for this unit was laid in 1941, and the launch took place in October 1942. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 114.76 meters and a width of 12 meters. The displacement reached approx. 2,050 tons, and the maximum speed was approx. 38 knots. The armament at the time of the launch consisted of five 127 mm guns, 10 40 mm anti-aircraft guns and 10 533 mm torpedo tubes. USS Leutze was one of 175 Fletcher-class destroyers. Units of this type were designed and built on a massive scale to accelerate the decommissioning process of the obsolete US Navy destroyer dating back to the First World War. Fletcher-class ships were designed from the beginning to work with large ships of the US Navy, as well as had strong anti-aircraft armament. They were also characterized by the so-called a smooth hull without a step amidships. USS Leutze (DD-481) began its combat route by supporting the landing of US troops operating in Peleliu in September 1944. Shortly thereafter, the destroyer also took part in the Battle of Leyte Bay in October of the same year. In January 1945, he supported American activities in the Philippines, and later participated in activities related to the occupation of Iwo-Jima and Okinawa. At the end of 1945, the USS Leutze was withdrawn from the line and shortly afterwards (1947) sold for scrap.