Forrest Sherman (DD-931)

USS Forrest Sherman was the lead ship of the US Navy's first post-World War II destroyer class. The class represented a clean postwar destroyer design before missiles fully transformed surface combatants. As built, the ships emphasized guns, speed, sensors, and traditional destroyer roles rather than guided-missile batteries.

The Forrest Sherman class carried 5-inch guns, anti-submarine weapons, and radar equipment in a conventional destroyer hull. Some ships later received missile or ASW conversions as Cold War requirements changed. The class therefore marks a transition: designed as gun destroyers, then modified or superseded as missiles and specialized ASW escorts became dominant.

Forrest Sherman-class ships served through much of the Cold War and influenced later US destroyer development. The lead ship itself became historically significant enough for preservation efforts. The class is useful for understanding the gap between World War II destroyer evolution and the guided-missile destroyer era.