USS Benham (DD-49)

USS Benham leaving Brest, for escort duty on 22 October 1918.
History
United States
Name	Benham
Namesake	Rear admiral Andrew Ellicot Kennedy Benham
Ordered	March 1911[3]
Builder	William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia[1]
Cost	$763,930.55 (hull and machinery)[5]
Yard number	385[2]
Laid down	14 March 1912[4]
Launched	22 March 1913[1]
Sponsored by	Edith Wallace Benham[1]
Commissioned	20 January 1914[4]
Decommissioned	7 July 1922[1]
Stricken	8 March 1935[4]
Identification	Hull symbol:DD-47 Code letters:NIJ
Fate	Scrapped at Philadelphia Navy Yard after 23 April 1935[1]
General characteristics [6]
Class and type	Aylwin-class destroyer
Displacement	1,036 long tons (1,053 t)[4]
Length	305 ft 3 in (93.04 m)[4]
Beam	30 ft 4 in (9.25 m)[4]
Draft	9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) (mean)[8]
Propulsion	2 × direct-drive steam turbines 2 × screw propellers[3]
Speed	29.5 kn (33.9 mph; 54.6 km/h) 29.0 kn (33.4 mph; 53.7 km/h) (Speed on Trial)[8]
Complement	5 officers 96 enlisted[7]
Armament	4 × 4 in (100 mm)/50 caliber guns[3] 8 × 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes (4 × 2) 2 × 0.30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns[7]

USS Benham (Destroyer No. 49/DD-49) was an Aylwin-class destroyer built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the first U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of Rear Admiral Andrew E. K. Benham.

Benham was laid down by William Cramp & Sons of Philadelphia in March 1912 and launched in March 1913. The ship was a little more than 305 ft (93 m) in length, just over 30 ft (9.1 m) abeam, and had a standard displacement of 1,036 long tons (1,053 t). She was armed with four 4 in (100 mm) guns and had eight 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes. Benham was powered by a pair of steam turbines that propelled her at up to 29.5 kn (33.9 mph; 54.6 km/h).

After her January 1914 commissioning, she assisted her sister ship Aylwin when that ship suffered an explosion in one of her fire rooms in April. After a period in reserve, Benham served on Neutrality Patrol duty. As a part of that duty in October 1916, she was one of several U.S. destroyers sent to rescue survivors from five victims of German submarine U-53 off the Lightship Nantucket. She picked up officers and crew from a Dutch cargo ship before the U-boat sank it. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Benham was sent overseas to patrol the Irish Sea out of Queenstown, Ireland. Benham made several unsuccessful attacks on U-boats. During her overseas service, Benham was rammed by HMS Zinnia and nearly sunk.

Upon returning to the United States after the war in January 1919, Benham was placed in reduced commission. After alternating periods of activity and time in reserve, Benham was decommissioned at Philadelphia in July 1922. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in March 1935 and ordered scrapped in April.