The USS McLanahan (DD-264) was a Clemson-class destroyer built for the United States Navy, later transferred to the Royal Navy where she served as HMS Bradford (H72). As a Clemson-class vessel, she was part of a large class of destroyers designed to counter German U-boats and operate alongside fleet units during World War I and the interwar period. The ship measured approximately 314 feet 4 inches (95.81 meters) in overall length, with a waterline length of 310 feet (94.49 meters). She had a beam of 30 feet 10 inches (9.40 meters) and a draft of 9 feet 10 inches (3.00 meters). Her displacement was about 1,190 long tons (1,209 tons) at normal load, increasing to 1,308 long tons (1,329 tons) at full load. Propelled by four Yarrow boilers feeding two Curtis geared steam turbines, the USS McLanahan was designed to reach a speed of 35 knots (40 mph). During sea trials, she achieved a top speed of 34.16 knots (39.31 mph). Her armament included four 4-inch/50 caliber guns, two on the centerline fore and aft, and two on the beams. She was also equipped with two 3-inch/23 caliber anti-aircraft guns and twelve 21-inch torpedo tubes arranged in four triple mounts on her beams. Laid down on April 20, 1918, by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation’s Victory Destroyer Plant in Quincy, Massachusetts, she was launched on September 22, 1918, and commissioned on April 5, 1919. After initial service and a cruise in European waters, she was assigned to the Pacific Fleet based in San Diego. She was decommissioned in June 1922 but was recommissioned in December 1939, following overhaul. In 1940, she was transferred to Britain under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement, where she was refitted as a long-range escort by removing her forward boilers and installing additional fuel tanks, reducing her top speed to 25 knots. Renamed HMS Bradford (H72), she joined the 43rd Escort Group, escorting convoys between Britain and Gibraltar during World War II. Notable events include a collision with the sloop Scarborough in April 1942 and involvement in convoy operations during Operation Torch in North Africa. Later, she served as an accommodation ship until the end of the war, after which she was sold for scrap in 1946.

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