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.