The Sumner Class DD was the follow-on to the highly successful Fletcher class destroyer. The Sumner Class doubled the amount of 5 inch guns carried in the basic Fletcher type hull without having to completely design a new class of ship.

The USS Sumner was the lead ship in a class of 58 ships built between 1943 and 1945. Sent to the Pacific in 1944 as part of task force 38, she patrolled Philippines with the USS Moale (DD-693) and USS Cooper (DD-695). In the early morning on Dec 3nd 1944 USS Sumner and her 2 sister ships engaged 2 Japanese DD in a night action. USS Sumner and USS Moale succeeded in sinking the IJN Kuwa but lost the USS Cooper to IJN torpedoes.

On 2 January 1945, the destroyer stood out of San Pedro Bay, bound for the invasion of Luzon at Lingayen Gulf in the screen for the cruisers and battleships of Vice Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf's Bombardment and Fire Support Group (TG 77.2). Early on 6 January, Allen M. Sumner moved into Lingayen Gulf to support minesweeping operations. Around noon, her unit came under air attack by kamikazes. The first plane retreated in the face of a heavy antiaircraft barrage while the second attacker hovered just out of range as a decoy to mask a run in by a third suicides The latter plane dove on Allen M. Sumner strafing as he came. He swooped in out of the sun on the destroyers port bow and crashed into her near the after stack and after torpedo mount. The warship lost 14 men killed and 19 injured. Extensive damage required her to retire from the gulf and join the heavy units of TG 77.2. Nevertheless, Allen M. Sumner remained in action with that unit and supported the Lingayen operation until 14 January.

USS Sumner returned to the United States for repair and refit. In August 1945 USS Sumner returned to the pacific theater too late to see any further action in WWII.

The Yankee Modelworks kit of USS Sumner DD-692 depicts the ship as she was in late 1944 / 1945 with the later style bridge and upgraded AA fit. The hull is a single piece so you will not need to sand and fill the waterline. The ship comes with resin, white-metal fittings, and a extensive photo-etch brass fret.