The USS Stevens (DD-479) was one of the 175 Fletcher-class
destroyers, which were considered one of the finest World War II
warships of that type. What set her apart from most of the standard
Fletcher-class destroyers was her 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 Mk
VI pneumatic aircraft catapult for embarked OS2U Kingfisher float
planes.