The USS Harding (DD-91) was a Wickes-class destroyer constructed for the United States Navy during World War I. Launched on July 4, 1918, from Union Iron Works in San Francisco, Harding was sponsored by the wife of George A. Armes and commissioned under Commander Henry D. Cooke. The vessel measured approximately 315 feet 5 inches in length with a beam of 31 feet 8 inches and a draft of 8 feet 6 inches. She displaced about 1,060 tonnes (standard) and was powered by two Curtis steam turbines propelled by four Yarrow boilers, capable of reaching speeds up to 35 knots during trials. Harding was armed with four 4"/50 caliber guns, three .30 caliber machine guns, and twelve 21-inch torpedo tubes. Her crew complement was around 122 officers and enlisted men. She was part of the 'Liberty Type' subgroup of Wickes-class destroyers, built to specifications and detail designs from Bethlehem Steel, with performance and fuel economy issues that led to her early decommissioning. Her service history includes participation in notable events such as escorting President Woodrow Wilson's transatlantic voyage aboard the USS George Washington in 1919 and supporting the historic transatlantic flight of Curtiss NC seaplanes, including assisting the NC-1 seaplane after a forced landing near the Azores. Harding also supported naval aviation training at Pensacola Naval Air Station and was involved in delivering medical supplies to Veracruz during a bubonic plague outbreak in 1920. In 1919, she was selected for conversion into a seaplane tender, a role she fulfilled at the Philadelphia and Charleston Navy Yards, supporting seaplane operations and bombing tests against German ships, including the sinking of SMS Ostfriesland in 1921. Harding continued training and testing exercises until her decommissioning on July 1, 1922. She was eventually sold for scrap in 1936. Harding's service reflects the transitional period of naval aviation and the evolution of destroyer roles in the post-World War I era.

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