In 1941, the US Navy laid keels for the first ships of a new class of destroyer (not commissioned until 1942). Exactly 175 were built, making it the largest fleet of one type of ship ever amassed. These Flush Deck Destroyers would go on to more than make the difference in the struggle for the Pacific.

A line or class of ships is named after the low numbered ship of its class. In this case, the U.S.S. Fletcher was the first ship of the class. The Hull Numbers (number at the front of the ship) started at 445, the Fletcher of course, and ended at 804, the U.S.S. Rooks; however, there were four ships commissioned later. Affectionately called "Tin Cans", these little ships were a floating gun platform, capable of high speed, exceptional maneuverability, and able to take the kind of punishment that would put other ships on the bottom.

The Fletchers would enter service after the battle of Midway but would be a key player in securing the Pacific. They were crucial in campaigns from The Solomon Islands (two years before Leyte) to Okinawa. In fact, Halsey chose Fletcher Class destroyers as escorts into Tokyo Bay because as he said,"...their valorous fight up the long road from the South Pacific to the very end." The men who served aboard a Tin Can were special, a group apart. Though the Fletchers were large Destroyers, every inch of space was used to house some apparatus crucial for the ship's operation or lethal capabilities. This made for cramped Quarters, coupled with the fierce fighting these crews endured, was born a camaraderie unparalleled.