Nicholas

The construction of a large number of destroyers in the absence of cruisers raised a discussion in the U.S. Navy about the need to produce destroyer leaders. Some officers suggested creating an intermediate ship type that would combine the features of a cruiser and a destroyer. After a series of sketches, a project for the destroyer leader with a displacement of 2,200 tons and equipped with five 127 mm guns was proposed. The beginning of the construction of the Omaha-class cruisers eventually eliminated the need for a destroyer leader, and it was decided to abandon the construction of this class.