What is known about this ship
USS Thatcher (DD-514) is one of the 175 completed ships documented in the completed Fletcher class roster.
Service history
adds this source-bounded hull to close the high-priority legacy class roster. Detailed builder, date, refit, transfer, combat, and disposition enrichment is intentionally deferred unless already present elsewhere in the archive.
Class context: Fletcher class
The Fletcher class was the U.S. Navy’s largest World War II destroyer class, with 175 ships completed. The design provided a robust combination of speed, five-inch gunfire, torpedo armament, anti-aircraft growth potential, and enough size to absorb wartime modifications.
Class relationship
This ship is recorded as a member of Fletcher class. Shared design history belongs on the class page; this page concentrates on the individual hull where evidence is available.
Sources and further reading
- USS Fletcher (DD-445, later DDE-445) ↗Naval History and Heritage Command · accessed 2026-09-18
- The Sullivans I (DD-537) ↗Naval History and Heritage Command · accessed 2026-09-18
- Ship list: Fletcher-class destroyers ↗Destroyer History Foundation · accessed 2026-09-21