The “destroyers that won the war” were among the most successful of their time and the most battle tested of all time – distinguished by the legacy of determination and fighting skill left by their officers and men. Nineteen Fletchers and four Sumners were lost; all but Spence to enemy action. The six more Fletchers and three Sumners not repaired after Okinawa brought the total casualties to 32 – one in seven Fletchers and one in ten Sumners.
| Losses | ||
| Year | Campaign | Ships |
| 1943 | Solomons | Brownson, Chevalier, De Haven, Strong |
| 1944 | Normandy | Meredith |
| Leyte | Abner Read, Cooper, Hoel, Johnston, Spence | |
| 1945 | Okinawa | Aaron Ward,1 Bush, Callaghan, Colhoun, Drexler, Evans,1 Haggard,1 Halligan, Hugh W. Hadley,1 Hutchins,1 J. William Ditter,1 Leutze,1 Little, Longshaw, Luce, Mannert L. Abele, Morrison, Newcomb,1 Pringle, Thatcher,1 Twiggs, William D. Porter |
| 1 Damaged and not repaired | ||
One hundred seventy-three Fletchers, 59 Sumners, and five Gearings earned campaign medals and more than 1,500 collective service stars. Ten were decorated for their record in the Solomons; four for Leyte; five more for carrier rescues; and 32 for other service late in the war up to and including Okinawa. Many others were cited for general excellence over an extended period.
| Decorations | |
| Award | Ships |
| Presidential Unit Citation | Aaron Ward, Bennion, Charles Ausburne,1 Claxton,1 Converse,1 Cowell, Dyson,1 Evans, Harry F. Bauer, Heermann,2 Henry A. Wiley, Hoel,2 Hugh W. Hadley, Johnston,2 Laffey, Nicholas, O’Bannon, Radford, Spence,1 Stanly,1 Wadsworth |
| Navy Unit Commendation | Adams, Albert W. Grant, Ammen, Anthony, Barton, Bennett, Bradford, Brown, Bryant, Cassin Young, Gainard, Gwin, Heywood L. Edwards, Hickox, Hudson, Ingraham, Irwin, J. William Ditter, Lowry, Miller, Morrison (2), Newcomb, Prichett, Purdy, Robert H. Smith, Shea, Taylor, Van Valkenburgh, Wickes |
| 1 DesRon 23 2 Taffy 3 | |
After the war, the Fletchers not used for training were laid up, though many were returned to service for the Korean War. Thereafter, while the Gearings were the newest and most prominent, ships of all three classes continued to operate with the US Navy into the 1970s and with other navies into the 21st century. Six have been preserved – by shipmates and others still passionate about a time when neither technology nor human skill and determination could defeat a well-prepared enemy, but together they won a war.