The USS Robinson (DD-88) was a Wickes-class destroyer built for the United States Navy, reflecting the rapid naval expansion during World War I. Laid down on October 31, 1917, by Union Iron Works in San Francisco, she was launched on March 28, 1918, and commissioned at Mare Island Navy Yard on October 19, 1918. The ship measured approximately 314 feet 4.5 inches in length overall, with a waterline length of 310 feet, a beam of 30 feet 11.5 inches, and a draft of 9 feet 2 inches. Displacing around 1,090 long tons normally and up to 1,247 long tons at full load, she was powered by four Yarrow boilers feeding geared steam turbines, which developed 27,000 shaft horsepower, enabling a designed speed of 35 knots. Her fuel capacity of 225 tons of oil afforded a range of 2,500 nautical miles at 20 knots. Constructed as part of a broader U.S. naval effort to build a powerful fleet comparable to the Royal Navy, Robinson was one of 20 destroyers ordered under the 1917 program. She participated in her initial transoceanic voyage in late 1918, transiting the Panama Canal to reach Norfolk, Virginia. Her early service included training operations, but she gained notable distinction supporting the first transatlantic flight of Navy seaplanes in 1919. Robinson served as a plane guard and navigational guide for the NC-4, the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic, guiding the seaplane from Newfoundland to the Azores and assisting in rescue efforts after the NC-1 sank in heavy seas. After her U.S. service, Robinson was decommissioned in 1922 and remained inactive until 1940, when she was transferred to the Royal Navy under the destroyers-for-bases agreement and renamed HMS Newmarket (G47). As part of the Royal Navy, she served primarily in convoy escort duties during World War II. She was modified for increased depth charge capacity and served in various capacities, including as an aircraft target ship. Her service concluded in 1945, and she was scrapped in Llanelli later that year. The USS Robinson/HMS Newmarket exemplifies the versatility and longevity of early 20th-century destroyers, transitioning from WWI service to a significant role in WWII convoy operations.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.