The ''Rudderow''-class destroyer escorts were

destroyer escort Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships. Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...

s launched in the

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in 1943 to 1945. Of this class, 22 were completed as destroyer escorts, and 50 were completed as s and were re-classified as

high speed transport High-speed transports were converted destroyers and destroyer escorts used in US Navy amphibious operations in World War II and afterward. They received the US Hull classification symbol APD; "AP" for transport and "D" for destroyer. In 1969, the ...

APDs. One ship was converted to an APD after completion. They served in

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convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

escorts and

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

ships.

History

The lead ship was which was launched on 14 October 1943. The ships had

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steam turbo-electric drive

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s. The ships were built at various shipyards in the United States, including the

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and

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. They were very similar to the , having the same hull and machinery. The main differences were the ''Rudderow''s had two enclosed guns and two twin- 40 mm mounts, instead of the three open guns and one twin-40 mm or one quad mount of the ''Buckley''s. Another major difference is the style of the configuration of the area of the bridge and pilothouse which is low and enclosed compared to the Buckley Class which is tall and enclosed. The Rudderow Class is similar to the John C. Butler Class in this case and a distinguishing feature between these two class DEs is the size and number of the portholes in the pilothouse. The Rudderow class has seven 16-inch portholes and the John C. Butler Class has nine 12-inch portholes, with both classes having three portholes facing the bow. The class was also known as the TEV type from their Turbo-Electric drive and 5-inch (V) guns.U.S. Destroyers, an illustrated design history by Norman Friedman, Chapter 7 The final 180 of the class were canceled near the end of the war. After World War II, some of the surviving units of this class were transferred to

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, Colombia,

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, and other countries. The rest were retained by the US Navy's reserve fleet until they were decommissioned. Diagram of US Navy WWII destroyer escort

Diagram of US Navy WWII destroyer escort

File:View forward from mast of USS Chaffee (DE-230).jpg, View forward from the mast of ''Rudderow''-class USS ''Chaffee'' (DE-230) showing 5in and 40mm guns. File:View aft from mast of USS Chafee (DE-230).jpg, View aft from the mast of ''Rudderow''-class USS ''Chaffee'' (DE-230) showing rear 5in and 40mm guns, depth charge racks, depth charge projectors and torpedo tubes.

Ships in Class

References

External links

Destroyer History.org - Rudderow-class destroyer escort
* http://www.desausa.org/ Destroyer Escort Sailors Association (DESA). {{DEFAULTSORT:Rudderow Class Destroyer Escort

History

Ships in Class

See also

References

External links