Mahan-class destroyer

The Mahan-class destroyers of the United States Navy were a series of 18 destroyers of which the first 16 were laid down in 1934. The last two of the 18, Dunlap and Fanning (this pair laid down in 1935), are sometimes considered as a separate ship class. All 18 were commissioned in 1936 and 1937. Mahan was the lead ship, named for Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, an influential historian and theorist on sea power.

The Mahans featured improvements over previous destroyers, with 12 torpedo tubes, superimposed gun shelters, and generators for emergency use. Standard displacement increased from 1,365 tons to 1,500 tons. The class introduced a new steam propulsion system that combined increases in pressure and temperature with a new type of lightweight steam turbine, proving simpler and more efficient than the Mahans' predecessors—so much so that it was used on many subsequent wartime US destroyers.

All 18 ships saw action in World War II, entirely in the Pacific Theater, including during the Guadalcanal Campaign, and the battles of the Santa Cruz Islands, Leyte Gulf, and Iwo Jima. Their participation in major and secondary campaigns included the bombardment of beachheads, amphibious landings, task force screening, convoy and patrol duty, and anti-aircraft and submarine warfare. Six ships were lost in combat and two were expended in the postwar Operation Crossroads nuclear tests. The remainder were decommissioned, sold, or scrapped after the war; none remain today. Collectively, the ships received 111 battle stars for their World War II service.

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast maneuverable long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller powerful short-range attackers. They were originally developed in the late 19th century as a defence against torpedo boats, and by the time of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, these "torpedo boat destroyers" (TBD) were "large, swift, and powerfully armed torpedo boats designed to destroy other torpedo boats." Although the term "destroyer" had been used interchangeably with "TBD" and "torpedo boat destroyer" by navies since 1892, the term "torpedo boat destroyer" had been generally shortened to simply "destroyer" by nearly all navies by the First World War.

Before World War II, destroyers were light vessels with little endurance for unattended ocean operations; typically a number of destroyers and a single destroyer tender operated together. After the war, the advent of the guided missile allowed destroyers to take on the surface combatant roles previously filled by battleships and cruisers. This resulted in larger and more powerful guided missile destroyers more capable of independent operation.

List of Marvel Comics characters: D

Daddy Longlegs

Daddy Longlegs first appeared in Spider-Woman #47 (December 1982), and was created by Mark Gruenwald. Ramsey Kole is a dancer of short stature who steals and drinks some experimental chemicals that Bill Foster was working on, and grows to a height of 15 feet with extremely long arms and legs. Spider-Woman intervenes when he attacks the audience at a theatre, and after she defeats him, he is taken away by the Locksmith along with a number of other superhumans. Daddy Longlegs is later restored to normal by Dr. Karl Malus, who used samples from Kole to purify the Pym Particles.

Daemos

Daemos is one of the Inheritors and the eldest son of Solus, and brother to Verna, Jennix, Morlun, Karn, Brix and Bora. Like the rest of the Inheritors, Daemos has the ability to drain the life force from other beings through physical contact. Depending on the power of the individual he drains, Daemos' powers and vitality can increase substantially. Daemos also has superhuman strength, speed, reflexes and durability. Daemos is physically larger than his siblings.

Destroyer (Thor)

The Destroyer is a fictional object appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Destroyer is usually depicted as an opponent to Thor. It is a suit of Asgardian armor, animated by magic, which first appears in Journey into Mystery #118 (Jul. 1965) and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books, the Destroyer is featured in over four decades of Marvel continuity and other Marvel-endorsed products such as animated television series, live-action films, video games, and merchandise such as action figures and trading cards. Due to trademark issues, at least one toy version of this character is marketed as Marvel's Destroyer.

Fictional history