# List of destroyers of the United States Navy
The destroyers of the [United States Navy](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-navy) are its multi-mission surface combatants, today organized into the [Arleigh Burke](https://www.edgepedia.org/arleigh-burke) class (DDG 51) and the three-ship Zumwalt class (DDG 1000), with a next-generation DDG(X) class in development. This article surveys the destroyer force by era and class rather than enumerating every hull; the Navy's destroyer lineage since the first class of 1899 runs to hundreds of vessels.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First destroyers | The Bainbridge class, the U.S. Navy's first class of destroyers, dates to 1899: 250 ft, 28.1 knots, 75 personnel, armed with two 3-inch guns, five 6-pounders, and two 18-inch torpedo tubes[1](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/news-and-events/multimedia%20gallery/New%20Infographics/FINAL_PDF_Infograph_EvolutionOftheDestroyer.pdf) |
| Current classes | DDG 51 (Arleigh Burke) and DDG 1000 (Zumwalt), both capable of Anti-Air Warfare (AAW), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), and Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW)[2](https://www.surflant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/Operational-Forces/Destroyers/) |
| Arleigh Burke fleet | 74 DDG 51 class ships delivered to the fleet (DDGs 51 to 123 and 125), with 25 more on contract and 12 in various stages of construction[3](https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2169871/destroyers-ddg-51/%20/lang/destroyers-ddg-51/) |
| Lead ship | USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) commissioned at Norfolk Navy Yard on July 4, 1991[4](https://www.surflant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/Operational-Forces/Destroyers/USS-Arleigh-Burke-DDG-51/About-Us/History/) |
| Zumwalt class | Three ships, assigned the primary mission of Offensive Surface Strike, with plans for extensive modification to install the Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic weapon system[5](https://media.defense.gov/2026/May/11/2003928909/-1/-1/1/NAVY%20SHIPBUILDING%20PLAN%20MAY%202026.PDF?pubDate=20260624) |
| Next generation | The DDG(X) program envisages procuring a next-generation guided-missile destroyer to replace the Ticonderoga (CG-47) class cruisers and older Arleigh Burke destroyers, with first procurement planned in the early 2030s[6](https://www.congress.gov/crs-products/product/pdf/IF/IF11679/44) |
| Missile defense | In 2020 the destroyer USS John Finn (DDG 113) shot down an intercontinental-ballistic-missile-representative target with an SM-3 Block IIA missile[7](https://www.usna.edu/Training/_files/PROBOOK_AY25_Final_No_Comments_19JUL24.pdf) |
## Early destroyers, 1899 to 1945
The first destroyers, built more than 100 years ago, were designed as torpedo-boat destroyers, according to James Harrison, director for the Expeditionary Warfare Ships Division at Naval Sea Systems Command[8](https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/News/Article-View/Article/1635780/weaponry-technology-and-threats-improve-destroyers-over-time/). The Bainbridge class of 1899 ran 250 feet, made 28.1 knots, and carried a crew of 75[1](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/news-and-events/multimedia%20gallery/New%20Infographics/FINAL_PDF_Infograph_EvolutionOftheDestroyer.pdf). When the United States joined World War I, 67 destroyers were in service with the Navy, and another seven were under construction.[9](https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/d/destroyers-at-normandy.html) With anti-submarine warfare in mind, the Navy began building another class before the end of that war, the flush deckers; in the years after the war the Navy gradually wore out the several hundred four-stack ships it had built to keep the sea lanes open[8](https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/News/Article-View/Article/1635780/weaponry-technology-and-threats-improve-destroyers-over-time/) • [9](https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/d/destroyers-at-normandy.html).
**Interwar limits.** From 1931 onward, a small number of new destroyers were built each year, at first constrained by the 1,500-ton standard displacement maximum that the London naval limitation treaty established. The ships designed to carry five 5-inch guns and three quad torpedo tubes became the beginning of the Benson (DD 421) class[9](https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/d/destroyers-at-normandy.html). The Fletcher class of 1942 stands as the emblematic destroyer of the World War II era in the Navy's own evolution-of-the-destroyer summary[1](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/news-and-events/multimedia%20gallery/New%20Infographics/FINAL_PDF_Infograph_EvolutionOftheDestroyer.pdf).
## Classification history
The basic destroyer (DD) designation has carried many variants since General Order No. 541 was signed on 17 July 1920[10](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/1995/april/part-iii-matter-class). The DDG classification was established on 23 November 1954; the fleet destroyer Gyatt (DD-712) was converted to a guided-missile ship in the mid-1950s and reclassified DDG-1 in 1957 when a separate DDG hull-number series was created[10](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/1995/april/part-iii-matter-class). The Charles F. Adams class was the first vessel designed and constructed specifically as a guided missile destroyer, and 23 units were built for the U.S. Navy[10](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/1995/april/part-iii-matter-class) • [11](https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Portals/103/Documents/TeamShips/SEA21/InactiveShips/Historic/2011/DDG2_DOE_FINAL.pdf). The Farragut class ships, projected as DL-6 and reclassified DLG-6 on 14 November 1956, were reclassified again as guided missile destroyers (DDG-37 through DDG-46) on 30 June 1975 because of their size, age, and lesser capabilities compared with contemporary cruisers[12](https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/f/farragut-ii.html) • [10](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/1995/april/part-iii-matter-class).
The Kidd class began as six ships ordered for the Imperial Iranian Government; when Iran canceled the ships in 1979, the U.S. Navy took them over on 25 July and retained their DD-series hull numbers[10](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/1995/april/part-iii-matter-class). The Spruance class (DD 963) was built during the 1970s and 1980s, and the Arleigh Burke class incorporated much of its propulsion and machinery plant[3](https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2169871/destroyers-ddg-51/%20/lang/destroyers-ddg-51/).
## The Arleigh Burke class (DDG 51)
The Arleigh Burke class replaced the Charles F. Adams class and was designed with an all-new hull form, using the Spruance-class propulsion plant and the Aegis Weapon System, which had been proven on the Ticonderoga-class cruisers[3](https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2169871/destroyers-ddg-51/%20/lang/destroyers-ddg-51/) • [27](https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2166739/aegis-weapon-system/). Construction of the first ship began in 1988 at [Bath Iron Works](https://www.edgepedia.org/bath-iron-works) in Maine, and the class holds the Navy's record for the longest production run of large surface warships[13](https://apnews.com/article/7798de1cdb622f7771dd6bfd23c02124). The lead ship commissioned on July 4, 1991[4](https://www.surflant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/Operational-Forces/Destroyers/USS-Arleigh-Burke-DDG-51/About-Us/History/).
The class is one of the Navy's numerically largest classes of ships since World War II[14](https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/RL/PDF/RL32109/RL32109.264.pdf). Its armament centers on the MK 41 Vertical Launching System, and ships equipped with Aegis Baseline 9 add Ballistic Missile Defense capability; Flight III ships carry the AMDR radar, which enables simultaneous air and ballistic missile defense[3](https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2169871/destroyers-ddg-51/%20/lang/destroyers-ddg-51/). USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127), the final Flight IIA destroyer, was delivered from Bath Iron Works on May 28, 2026, more than two months early after exceptional builder's sea trials[15](https://paemaritime.navy.mil/press-release/navy-accepts-accelerated-delivery-of-future-uss-patrick-gallagher). Mid-life upgrades continue under the DDG Modernization 2.0 program, which completed major work on USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) and USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) in 2026[16](https://paemaritime.navy.mil/press-release/navy-delivers-major-capability-with-completion-of-uss-chung-hoon-ddg-93-and-uss-james-e-williams-ddg-95-modernizations).
Burke-class ships have performed ballistic missile defense in combat conditions. In April 2024, USS Arleigh Burke became the first ship in Navy history to intercept medium-range ballistic missiles in flight while operating in the [Eastern Mediterranean](https://www.edgepedia.org/eastern-mediterranean)[4](https://www.surflant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/Operational-Forces/Destroyers/USS-Arleigh-Burke-DDG-51/About-Us/History/), and in 2025 a Navy destroyer in the eastern Mediterranean shot down Iranian ballistic missiles headed toward Israel[17](https://apnews.com/article/973bc18970689bac42d82342bd29f601).
## The Zumwalt class (DDG 1000)
Developed under the DD(X) program, the Zumwalt class was designed as a next-generation multi-mission surface combatant tailored for land attack and littoral dominance[18](https://www.surflant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/Operational-Forces/Destroyers/Destroyer-Ship-Class-DDG-Info-Page/). The class numbers three ships[5](https://media.defense.gov/2026/May/11/2003928909/-1/-1/1/NAVY%20SHIPBUILDING%20PLAN%20MAY%202026.PDF?pubDate=20260624). Its stated design advantages include a 50-fold radar cross section reduction compared with current destroyers, a 10-fold improvement in strike group defense, and 10 times the operating area in shallow-water regions against mines[18](https://www.surflant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/Operational-Forces/Destroyers/Destroyer-Ship-Class-DDG-Info-Page/). To provide more relevant mission capabilities, the Navy has begun removing the Advanced Gun Systems from these ships and replacing them with the Conventional Prompt Strike weapon system[19](https://files.gao.gov/reports/GAO-25-108225/index.html), and the Navy wants to begin testing the system aboard the Zumwalt in 2027 or 2028[20](https://apnews.com/article/ec3272a36042796518aec665a4e65df3).
## The DDG(X) program
The Navy's DDG(X) program envisages a next-generation guided-missile destroyer to replace the Ticonderoga class cruisers and older Arleigh Burke destroyers, with the first ship to be procured in the early 2030s[6](https://www.congress.gov/crs-products/product/pdf/IF/IF11679/44). The Navy describes the DDG(X) as carrying Flight III DDG-51 Aegis combat system elements, with more space, weight, power, and cooling margin for future weapons including directed energy, an integrated power system, reduced signatures, increased range, and increased weapon capacity[6](https://www.congress.gov/crs-products/product/pdf/IF/IF11679/44). After earlier programs that fielded immature technology, Navy leadership has deliberately slowed design work, borrowing the radar and targeting system from the latest Burkes for the new ship; the transition to the new class was expected to begin around the 2032 time frame[13](https://apnews.com/article/7798de1cdb622f7771dd6bfd23c02124).
## Naming and organization
Past destroyers of all types were named for cities, Secretaries of the Navy and of War, and other honored figures, with the convention modified over time; [USS Roosevelt](https://www.edgepedia.org/uss-roosevelt-ddg-80) (DDG 80) was named in honor of both President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt[21](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/browse-by-topic/heritage/pdf/Shipnamingreport.pdf). Recent hulls honor [Medal of Honor](https://www.edgepedia.org/medal-of-honor) recipients, including retired Navy Captain Thomas Gunning Kelley (DDG-140, funded in the fiscal 2023 budget)[22](https://apnews.com/article/361e7d6e225a53c6142a38b36ba2f2d8).
Operationally, destroyers are assigned to destroyer squadrons (DESRONs). Commander, Destroyer Squadron 15, the Navy's largest, exercises operational and tactical command of nine forward-deployed Arleigh Burke destroyers in Japan[23](https://www.surfpac.navy.mil/Warships/Commander-Destroyer-Squadron-15-COMDESRON-15/About/). The Navy's December 2016 force-level goal called for a 355-ship fleet including 104 large surface combatants, of which 79 were to be DDG-51 class destroyers[24](https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/RL/PDF/RL32665/RL32665.251.pdf). Sustainment remains a constraint: [Government Accountability Office](https://www.edgepedia.org/government-accountability-office) reporting found DDG-51 Flight III delivery delays grew from 8 to 33 months to between 22 and 58 months, and [Congressional Budget Office](https://www.edgepedia.org/congressional-budget-office) analysis of maintenance events from October 2010 to September 2024 found Arleigh Burke destroyers among the ship types with the largest maintenance delays[25](https://files.gao.gov/reports/GAO-26-109068/index.html) • [26](https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61940).
## References
1. [Evolution of the Destroyer infographic, Naval History and Heritage Command](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/news-and-events/multimedia%20gallery/New%20Infographics/FINAL_PDF_Infograph_EvolutionOftheDestroyer.pdf)
2. [Destroyers, Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command / Surface Force Atlantic](https://www.surflant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/Operational-Forces/Destroyers/)
3. [Destroyers (DDG 51), U.S. Navy Fact File](https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2169871/destroyers-ddg-51/%20/lang/destroyers-ddg-51/)
4. [USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) History, U.S. Fleet Forces Command](https://www.surflant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/Operational-Forces/Destroyers/USS-Arleigh-Burke-DDG-51/About-Us/History/)
5. [Navy Shipbuilding Plan, May 2026, Department of Defense](https://media.defense.gov/2026/May/11/2003928909/-1/-1/1/NAVY%20SHIPBUILDING%20PLAN%20MAY%202026.PDF?pubDate=20260624)
6. [Navy DDG(X) Next-Generation Destroyer Program: Background and Issues for Congress, CRS IF11679](https://www.congress.gov/crs-products/product/pdf/IF/IF11679/44)
7. [Professional Knowledge Book, U.S. Naval Academy (AY25)](https://www.usna.edu/Training/_files/PROBOOK_AY25_Final_No_Comments_19JUL24.pdf)
8. [Weaponry, Technology and Threats Improve Destroyers Over Time, Naval Sea Systems Command](https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/News/Article-View/Article/1635780/weaponry-technology-and-threats-improve-destroyers-over-time/)
9. [Destroyers at Normandy, Naval History and Heritage Command](https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/d/destroyers-at-normandy.html)
10. [Samuel Loring Morison, "Part III: A Matter of Class," Naval History, April 1995](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/1995/april/part-iii-matter-class)
11. [Naval Vessel Historical Evaluation: Charles F. Adams (DDG-2), Naval Sea Systems Command](https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Portals/103/Documents/TeamShips/SEA21/InactiveShips/Historic/2011/DDG2_DOE_FINAL.pdf)
12. [Farragut II (Destroyer No. 300), Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships](https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/f/farragut-ii.html)
13. [US Navy applies lessons from costly shipbuilding mistakes, Associated Press, February 2023](https://apnews.com/article/7798de1cdb622f7771dd6bfd23c02124)
14. [Navy DDG-51 and DDG-1000 Destroyer Programs: Background and Issues for Congress, CRS RL32109](https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/RL/PDF/RL32109/RL32109.264.pdf)
15. [Navy Accepts Accelerated Delivery of Future USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127), PAE Maritime, May 2026](https://paemaritime.navy.mil/press-release/navy-accepts-accelerated-delivery-of-future-uss-patrick-gallagher)
16. [Navy Delivers Major Capability with Completion of USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) and USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) Modernizations, PAE Maritime, June 2026](https://paemaritime.navy.mil/press-release/navy-delivers-major-capability-with-completion-of-uss-chung-hoon-ddg-93-and-uss-james-e-williams-ddg-95-modernizations)
17. [US helps Israel shoot down barrage of Iranian missiles, Associated Press, June 2025](https://apnews.com/article/973bc18970689bac42d82342bd29f601)
18. [Destroyer Ship Class Info Page (DDG 1000), U.S. Fleet Forces Command](https://www.surflant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/Operational-Forces/Destroyers/Destroyer-Ship-Class-DDG-Info-Page/)
19. [Navy Shipbuilding: Enduring Challenges Call for Systemic Change, GAO-25-108225](https://files.gao.gov/reports/GAO-25-108225/index.html)
20. [Stealth destroyer to be home for 1st hypersonic weapon on a US warship, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/ec3272a36042796518aec665a4e65df3)
21. [A Report on Policies and Practices of the U.S. Navy for Naming Ships, Naval History and Heritage Command](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/browse-by-topic/heritage/pdf/Shipnamingreport.pdf)
22. [US Navy warship to bear name of Medal of Honor recipient, Associated Press, January 2023](https://apnews.com/article/361e7d6e225a53c6142a38b36ba2f2d8)
23. [Commander, Destroyer Squadron 15, U.S. Pacific Fleet](https://www.surfpac.navy.mil/Warships/Commander-Destroyer-Squadron-15-COMDESRON-15/About/)
24. [Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans, CRS RL32665](https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/RL/PDF/RL32665/RL32665.251.pdf)
25. [Navy and Coast Guard Shipbuilding, GAO-26-109068](https://files.gao.gov/reports/GAO-26-109068/index.html)
26. [Maintenance Delays for Conventional Navy Ships, Congressional Budget Office](https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61940)
27. [Aegis Weapon System, navy.mil](https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2166739/aegis-weapon-system/)
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