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Destroyer Escorts in Action Warships No 11 by Al Adcock Soft Cover
Destroyer Escorts in Action Warships No 11 by Al Adcock
Soft Cover
50 pages
Copyright 1997
CONTENTS
Introduction
Evarts Class
Buckley Class
Cannon Class
Edsall Class
Torpedo Laucher and 21 Inch Torpedo
Rudderow Class
John C Butler Class
APD Conversions
LCVD
DER Conversions
INTRODUCTION
The concept of the small ocean escort ship began around the turn of the 20th century when there was no real need for such a ship, especially since the United States wasn't at war. However, some fifteen years later there was a real need for an ocean escort ship as German U-boats began roaming the Atlantic like sharks, sinking allied ships during World War One.
The first of the U.S. Navy's escort ships was a small lightly armed torpedo boat that was utilized for coastal defense duties. Constructed at the end of the 19th century, these torpedo boats of the DAHLGREN class were armed with four 4 pound guns and a pair of 18 inch torpedo tubes. They remained in service until around 1910.
During World War One a contract was let by the U.S. Navy for 112 EAGLE boats. The Ford Motor Company won the contract and construction began, however, none were completed by the time the armistice was signed in 1918. These EAGLE boats served between the wars and were used during World War Two in the coastal defense role. One boat, the PE-56, one of eight that served during the war, was lost in 1945 off the coast of New Jersey.
When the United States began supplying the British at the beginning of World War Two, a means to protect convoys crossing the Atlantic was sought. Under the lend-lease program the U.S. provided the British with fifty 4 stack flush deck destroyers to help provide protection for the many convoys. These "flush deckers" were old and not very fast and required constant maintenance to stay serviceable. They did, however, provide a degree of protection until a more adequate solution could be found. The British Admiralty proposed an inexpensive destroyer to escort the convoys. The proposal, designed by Gibbs and Cox, was for a lightly armed and armored ship that could be built in quantity, and very quickly.
The design which became known as the EVARTS class or British Destroyer Escort (BDE) were constructed and commissioned during the 1942-43 time frame. The first fifty were constructed using lend lease funds, although only six went to the British Navy. As soon as the BDEs were commissioned they were put into convoy escort duty in the North Atlantic protecting against U-boat attacks. Once a sufficient number of Destroyer Escorts became available in the Atlantic the number of sinkings by U-boats declined dramatically.
These Destroyer Escorts were also employed along with Escort Carriers (CVEs) in hunter-killer groups that hunted U-boats with surface radar mounted on the DEs and mounted onboard carrier borne Grumman TBF/TBM Avengers. DEs also used the High Frequency/Direction Finding (HF/DF) antenna (known as the Huff-Duff antenna) that could locate high frequency radio transmissions from surfaced U-boats. Once located the U-boats were attacked with bombs or depth charges.
Destroyer Escorts were initially armed with three 3inch/50 caliber (76 mm) dual purpose cannons that could be utilized against surface or aerial targets. For anti-aircraft protection two 40mm Bofors cannons and six 20mm Oerlikon cannons were fitted.
For anti-submarine warfare (ASW), depth charge release tracks, roller tracks and throwers were situated around the aft deck and stern area. Two types of depth charges were employed, the MK 6 and MK 8 "Ash Can", and the MK 9 and MK 14 fast sinking types. A Hedgehog 5inch spigot mortar system was placed between the number 1 and 2 3inch gun. The Hedgehog was a throw ahead mortar system that could fire up to 24 mortar rounds in an oval pattern ahead of the ship. They were effective against U-boats up to 300 feet deep.
During World War Two, various camouflage schemes were employed on Destroyer Escorts of the British and American navies. The British used Admiralty camouflage schemes that had been developed during World War One and refined during World War Two. The schemes used whites, greys, blues and greens in an attempt to confuse both surface and aerial observers.
The U.S. Navy experimented with various schemes during and after World War One, but since there was no threat to the fleet between the wars, camouflage designs were not top priority and most ships were simply painted gray with large pennant numbers painted on the hull. At the start of World War Two, a need was seen in the North Atlantic for some type of camouflage to confuse observers. The dazzle pattern scheme was initially employed, a scheme that was designed to break up the hull and superstructure outline of the ship. Blacks and various shades of grays were employed, which were effective against surface observers.
As the war continued other schemes were employed that painted the ship a solid color of dark gray or navy blue. This camouflage 'Measure System' was employed when lighting conditions were the best for the ship and the worst for the enemy. The dazzle and solid paint pattern systems were utilized both in the Atlantic and Pacific.
Destroyer Escorts were operated by the U.S. Navy and Britain during World War Two, as well as France and Brazil. Further, the U.S. Coast Guard operated 30 of the EDSALL class Destroyer Escorts, mainly in the Atlantic. The Free French Navy was presented with 6 of the CANNON class for use in the Atlantic, and Brazil operated 8 hunting U-boats.
Following World War Two, those DEs operated by the U.S. Coast guard were returned to U.S. Navy control, while the French and Brazilian Navy retained theirs. When the Korean war broke out in 1950 the U.S. Coast Guard again operated 10 of the same EDSALL class Destroyer Escorts in the Pacific operating as radio and weather ships and also to aid in air-sea rescue along the U.S. to Korea air routes.
The hull of the Destroyer Escort proved to be extremely versatile with conversions to Fast Attack Transports (APD) and Destroyer Escort Radar (DER) ships being undertaken during and following World War Two.
The APD conversions began in 1944 when a need was found for a small fast transport to carry troops to attack remotely held Japanese islands in the pacific. The APDs were also used to transport under water demolition teams (UDT) to Japanese beaches where the "frogmen" would clear underwater obstacles that might impede beach landings. Following the Korean war the U.S. began converting Destroyer Escorts to radar picket ships (DER) used in the "wet" part of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) line in the Atlantic. They served in that capacity into the middle 1960s.
Over 565 Destroyer Escorts and Fast Attack Transports were constructed during and following World War Two, with many more that were slated for construction being canceled. U.S. Destroyer Escorts were named to honor U.S. Navy heroes, former Admirals and Captains as well as former U.S. ships, mainly destroyers. When DEs were converted to APDs, they retained their DE name and only the hull number was changed to reflect their new status. The DEs, DERs and APDs sailored on with many navies of the world some into the 1990's.
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