The USS Stevens (DD-479) was one of the 175 Fletcher-class destroyers, and was considered one of the finest world War II warships of that type. What set it apart from most of the standard Fletcher-class destroyers was its aircraft-carrying capability. In May 1940 six of the Fletcher-class destroyers were selected for conversion into aircraft-carrying ships. The upgrades included installation of the Mk VI pneumatic aircraft catapult for embarked OS2U Kingfisher float planes.